The Way You Remember Me
by Kiome-Yasha
Summary: Roxas and Namine are together within their original selves, but lately Namine has been turning transparent little by little. Roxas, wanting to stop this Phenomenon from happening, goes to great length in the darkness to fix it!
1. A night as nobodies in love

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney. Enough said, I don't even own Namine or Roxas which sucks."

Kiome-Yasha: "Okay, well this is dedicated to my second favorite couple in the world, Namine and Roxas. Plus this is my first lemon so go easy on me if it's not that good. After beating Kingdom Hearts 2 and seeing Namine and Roxas together from beginning to end I just fell in love with them. They make such a cute couple, so here is my fic presenting their love."

Chap 1 Nobodies Could Feel Passion Too

Roxas stood transparent as he stepped out of Sora's sleeping form within his messy room. He stood up to be presented as a ghostly figure, his supernatural body becoming a whole solid body a few seconds later.

He kneeled down a bit to make sure Sora didn't wake up from the sudden separation. Seeing know signs of movement, but only steady sleeping breathes being taken, Roxas sighed in relief. In a few minutes he was to meet Namine at Destiny Island, as she will be separating herself from Kairi's body.

Roxas skipped over the scattered cloths and broken materials that were on the floor. He sighed to himself, "Sora's room is a total mess. It's like a tornado just came and turned everything inside out; at least my room back at Twilight Town was clean. How could Kairi fall for a guy like this?" Roxas went into Sora's closet and pulled out a thin sheet blanket.

He shut the closet door quietly, making a soft click sound. Roxas then skipped hastily to the door, opening it softly as it made a squeaky sound. He cringed, looking back to Sora's sleeping form to find him still asleep. He sighed again, "Man, what a heavy sleeper." Sora made a snort sound before Roxas stepped out into the night to meet with the girl who was a Nobody.

KHKHKHKHKHKH

Namine had fully escaped Kairi's sleeping, peaceful form. She then waited a bit before moving to see if Kairi made any sign of any discomfort from her separation. She smiled, seeing that Kairi was still in deep slumber. She picked up a few small pillows in Kairi's closet soon after. Namine then looked out the window to see Destiny Island. Soon she was to meet up with Roxas there. She smiled, finally being able to see him again in person, and not through Kairi's eyes. Although she promised that as long as Sora and Kairi were together they would be together, they still didn't possess the physical comfort like their original selves had.

Namine slumped a little, knowing that after their night together was over, they still would end up needing to enter Sora and Kairi's body again. That thought made wet crystal tears to form in the corner of Namine's eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hands quickly, trying to be positive. At least they can finally talk about everything tonight, just the two of them. No Sora or Kairi staying between from ever reaching to each other, or touching each other.

Namine stood awhile longer before she had the strength to go on and see Roxas. She didn't want to face Roxas with tears still visible on her face. Feeling fatigue, but determine, Namine finally stepped out of Kairi's colorful room.

She quirked a brow, "So many colors in one room. Why can't Kairi be simple with one color?" After hearing a loud yawn come from the mentioning princess, Namine stepped out of the room peacefully and quietly.

She walked down the smooth brown, dirt road of the island they lived on, carrying the soft small pillows close to her. There was large tropical flowers and leafs that surrounded her, blocking any detection of an intruder lurking in them. She made her way to the beach shore of the small, but quiet village.

She made it to the shore, but didn't see any signs of a spiky headed blonde with deep azure eyes anywhere. Namine pulled her dress down to sit herself down on the lush soft sand. She took off her light blue sandals putting them on the edge of the shore's waves when they pulled up. She shivered from the moist contact on her dry pale feet. After a few more minutes, she got use to the temperature and settled her hands on her knees waiting for Roxas.

She stared off obliviously into the distant where the small island was. She was in a trance, the comforting smell of salt water caressing her. Namine's eyes started to mist over, her eyes becoming darker than their usual light color. She was fascinated of the feeling she was retrieving from just sitting there.

Namine then remembered that she had brought her sketchpad, which Kairi happily kept herself for her. She shook her head, holding a hopeless smile, "He's late, typical boy." Namine for some reason could see in the dark, training herself to see through both elements of light and darkness. She didn't want anything to stop her from drawing down her thoughts, especially when most of her thoughts dealt with her and Roxas.

She started outlining the details of Roxas's face; she was being explicit as she could. She blushed though when she felt a very warm, yet soothing breath came across her soft delicate neck. She shuddered, feeling the person put his hands on her shoulders, slowly gliding them down her naked, but slender arms. He made her shiver in delight, earning him to grin in satisfaction. Namine whispered his name, trying not to moan, "Roxas…"

Roxas stopped at the end to her hands that were holding the sketchpad. He took the book out gently, observing the drawing of himself closely; her talent seized to amaze him.

He then turned the picture side to side, speculating it. Namine was confused, "What's wrong?" He smirked, "That's just it, there's nothing wrong with it. It looks exactly like me." He put the sketchpad down, giving Namine one of Sora's trademark grins, "But if I do this; I bet I look more like Sora, huh?" Namine almost cried from the sight. It wasn't even a joke, because after that, Roxas returned to his stoic expression.

Namine lifted herself up from the sand, not caring about the brown marks that were on her pure white dress. She embraced Roxas tightly, making their bodies merge perfectly together. Roxas felt aroused from the closeness of his body against Namine's, feeling the traces of her body curves upon his.

Namine held tighter, but didn't want to choke him so she lightened her grip on him a bit, not wanting to let go. She wanted to feel him like this for a long time, but couldn't because of the barrier that was between them.

Namine smiled, tears starting to sprinkle down her flushed pale cheeks, "Roxas, remember how I told you you'll be whole if you return to Sora." He placed his chin on her head, nodding lightly. Namine continued, "I know what I meant then, but I'm sorry if it hurts now!" She muffled a cry from what she said into his chest, not wanting him to see her tears.

Roxas was a bit taken back from Namine's outburst. He gazed down at the small girl he deeply cared for, praying to God that it was HIS feelings for her that was penetrating out of him, and no one else's. Roxas subconsciously kissed Namine's forehead, without giving it a thought of how vulnerable she was being right now.

Namine was surprised and heart-warmed from such action. She placed her hands on Roxas's chest, getting a good look at him while he did the same to her. She was a bit dazed from that one simple touch of his lips on her skin, even it was just on her forehead; it just seemed so unreal to feel such comfort and warmth.

She closed her eyes as she smiled brightly, opening up her eyes again with a sparkling twilight glow, "Roxas, right now, you're nothing like Sora. Actually, you never were Sora to me." Roxas placed his arms around Namine's waist, "And you Namine, will never be Kairi in my eyes." She blushed as she stepped away from the embrace, causing Roxas to be disappointed.

Namine picked up her scandals and held them in her left hand while the pillows under her right arm. She turned her gaze back to Roxas with a smile, "Come on. We did plan on going to Destiny Island tonight, remember?" She made her way towards Kairi's boat, leaving him behind. Roxas stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, before wondering what the heck just happened; but he shook it off and followed Namine into Sora's boat.

It took them a good ten minutes to reach their destination, stepping out of the small boats to tie them around the small dock. Namine ran towards the secret place Sora, Riku, and Kairi always played at and scribbled on the wall. Roxas close behind her, carrying the blankets while Namine had the pillows. They made it passed the crystal clean waterfall that shined with outmost beauty of the night.

They made it to the cave's entrance, checking in the dark path inside it. Roxas stepped himself in front of Namine, making sure there was nothing dangerous inside. Seeing that everything was clear, Roxas moved inside, motioning Namine with his hand to enter. Namine nodded in a wry gesture, following inside after him.

When they made it to the core of the cave, both Namine and Roxas were stunned to see the many drawings upon the walls. The drawings were mostly signs of their adventures. It was like Namine's drawings, but less detailed and chalked on.

Roxas spread the sheet open upon the soft ground, making a floating effect. Namine then placed the pillows to the sides of the blanket. Both them sat themselves down, taking the silence around them; besides the echo of the crashing waves from outside and trickling water from above. Roxas glanced his eyes around the crater, keeping his prying eyes away from Namine's ravishing form. Not that he mind looking at her sweet and slender body; her pearl white dress showing her loving curves that he craved to touch.

Roxas scolded himself, '_Stop it! I shouldn't be thinking about 'that' right now!_' He had a frustrated look on his face until he heard Namine give out a light giggle. Roxas turned her way to see the drawing that Sora and Kairi drew of each other with the papou fruit on the wall.

Namine turned to Roxas, "It's really sweet. I kind of have the memory in my mind, but only pictures of you and me as kids writing on the wall." Roxas asked curiously, "You imagine it to be us?" Namine only nodded as her answer.

They could hear the sound of the waterfall echoing through the night from the small cave. Namine felt the trickling water drops from the ceiling come down through the cracks above. She shivered, feeling goose bumps appear on her skin. Oddly to her, she didn't notice it was making some of her more sensitive spots to appear on her chest. Roxas, though, caught notice of them and blushed furiously from the sight.

He looked at her bosom to her peaceful face, catching notice that her eyes were closed in an erotic manner. Roxas coughed, breaking Namine's daydream from the soft atmosphere.

She smiled, acting like there was nothing wrong; not knowing that she was making Roxas feel hot and uncomfortable right now. He tried to settle down his hormones, feeling a turn on coming from down below.

Roxas stared at Namine, a blush still visible on his face, "You know when you said that you thought all nobodies were doomed to fall into darkness. Why did you think that?" Namine looked at Roxas with a look of depression, "I thought that because we weren't complete beings with no emotion of the light, all the other nobodies were doomed to fall into darkness. The others reached their goal with such rage, anger, hatred, and envy…I could just go on." Roxas placed a hand on Namine's creamy shoulder, "Namine, but…" Namine cut him off with a smile forming her lips, "But you and I turned out different in the end, just like you said."

Roxas nodded and before he knew it, Namine started placing her back to Roxas's chest, sitting between his legs. He cursed within his mind, '_Dammit, doesn't she know what she's doing to me?_' He cried out in aggravation.

Namine sighed uncomfortably, feeling something throbbing behind her. She whispered, ignoring the hard feeling, "Roxas, I wish Axel could have made it and found his original self like us. He helped us so many times." Roxas stood silent as he tried to settle himself down, trying to focus his conversation with Namine.

Axel wanted to be free and have his own heart and be with his original self, just like Roxas and Namine; but in the end, he couldn't. All he could do was be the best friend he could be for Roxas and Namine, helping them to be reunited with each other and their original selves. Roxas put his arms around Namine, as he felt her body begin to shiver, "Namine, at least he died with a heart; although, it wasn't physically there."

She calmed herself down, "I know, but still, he deserves another chance too." Roxas held her tighter, closing his eyes shut and taking in her sweet coconut sea scent. Namine closed her eyes, feeling Roxas's lips caress over her soft neck. She trembled from the light kiss, feeling herself become aroused with desire.

She spoke, feeling intoxicated from his touches and kisses, "Roxas, I want to..." Roxas knew what she was getting at. He lifted his head, "Sorry." Namine shook her head, "No, it's alright. You can't deny your feelings because of Sora's heart for Kairi." Roxas was shock from her words; this was a conversation he wanted to avoid.

Roxas took both of Namine's shoulders and turned her towards him with an annoyed look, "Don't say that! Don't you ever say that! I don't want to believe that are feelings are made of lies because of Sora and Kairi! And don't you dare say that we were never meant to exist!" Namine eyes opened widely, lips quivering from the volume of his voice and the distance between their lips.

She had tears coming at the corner of her eyes, "But Roxas…even with what you say is true…it…it …still hurts." She bowed her head down; tears came freely down her angelic face, "Even if we have this time together, right now. We will have to return to Sora and Kairi's bodies in the end. We won't be able to see, or touch, or talk to each other like real human beings. Even if we are whole solid bodies right now, I'll soon turn transparent again. We can't stay like this forever. We'll disappear like the others if we stay out like this for long. We need to be within Sora and Kairi in order to exist. Look!" Namine pointed to the little proof of her almost transparent hand.

Roxas only gave a dead expression as he placed his right hand on top of her almost cleared one, lifting it up to his lips and kissing it gently. At that instant, Namine's ghostly hand became a whole solid figure again. She was a bit shock and confused, not knowing how to take the phenomenon. She looked up at Roxas as he said, "Namine, as long you and me have these feelings for each other and remember how we remember each other; we won't disappear. I told you that before, didn't I?" Namine nodded, remembering his words back at the World that never was before they entered inside Sora and Kairi.

Roxas inched closer to her face, lifting her tender chin to face him and look into his eyes, "Don't make me think for a second that the reason I love you is because of someone else again." Namine's eyes blurred with tears from his words, sniffing from the confession. Her mind became blank when she felt Roxas's hungry lips claim her trembling ones.

She was vulnerable, he could feel it from her trembling soft lips, but she kissed back without hesitation. Namine moaned deeply, feeling Roxas force her down upon the blanket, lacing their fingers together and pinning her down. His wet tongue grazed over Namine's bottom lips, commanding her to open them and let him explore the sweet inside of her mouth. Namine shook underneath him, the action causing her to open her mouth a bit. She almost choked out a scream as that little opening was all Roxas needed to let his tongue enter her mouth's domain.

The kiss was intense; causing Namine to feel dizzy from the impact it was giving her. She could feel Roxas's erection growing and hitting against her thigh. She moaned in ecstasy. She could feel the wetness of their tongues escaping the side of her lips. Namine clamped her eyes shut when she felt one of Roxas's hands that were laced with one of her own go to the other hand, making his long fingers engulf both. With his free hand, he went under her white dress, snaking its way up to her right breast. Roxas practically had the dress ripped, considering the tightness it had on her body, but he made it there and went under her bra and started to massage her breast. Namine wanted to scream from the pleasure he was giving her.

Roxas finally let go of Namine's bruised lips from their heated dancing tongues. He trailed down butterfly kisses down her chin to her neck and started suckling on her sensitive spot. Namine moaned out Roxas's name, making him smirk from her soft cry.

He then trailed down kisses to her shoulder, to her shoulder blade and then, to collarbone, suckling each precious spot as possible. Roxas fumbled with Namine's left breast giving it a rush yet gentle massage like the other one. Namine squirmed from the touch, wiggling underneath Roxas. It was driving her crazy and to the edge of insanity. Roxas grinned, kissing the end of Namine's neck as he felt her breast perk up more from his touches.

His kisses lead him to the bottom of Namine's neck, pressing a gentle kiss upon the skin. He let go of Namine's hands automatically, making her rope her hands around his neck. But that didn't last long, as she started to undress him, starting from his short-sleeved jacket. Seeing signs of Namine taking off his jacket, Roxas stopped teasing her breasts, leading his hands down to the end of her dress and lifting it up. Namine froze from this, feeling her dress rise up to her face. After awhile, Namine's dress was off, revealing her with nothing more then a baby blue color bra and underwear that matched.

Roxas sat up to have a good luck of his angel's body. Her slender curves were better than he imagined it to be. Namine's face turned crimson from Roxas's intense lustful gaze. She was feeling nervous that he didn't like what he saw, but Roxas mounted on top of her again, making her hands lift in fear a little as he smiled at her, "Don't worry, you're perfect; my perfect, Namine." He once again claimed Namine's lips, lifting her body up a bit to arch her chest into him. Roxas took this opportunity to send his hands to the back of her bra's clip. Namine gasped in their kiss when she felt the bra being unclipped. Roxas took the bra and slid it through Namine's arms, showing her breasts out in the open.

Namine heard her bra being thrown to the side as Roxas pushed her slowly back down. While that, Roxas started unzipping his undershirt, revealing his growing, but slender muscles. Namine couldn't resist as she glided her hands over his torso and chest. Roxas groaned deeply from Namine's soft, smooth nails trialing over his hot skin; bringing forth swirls of delight inside him.

Namine moaned loudly as she felt Roxas's wet tongue slide down her neck, to the center of her rounded breasts. He looked at Namine's perked breasts, grinning as his left hand teased with her right breast. He played with the tip of the nipple with his fingers, his tongue swirling around the other. Namine grasped onto the thin quilt underneath her, making it wrinkle with her grasp as she moaned louder. Roxas licked the perked nipple with his tongue, going back and forth in a soft pattern. His left hand rubbed the left breast with tender swiftness, having more access to them than before.

Roxas finally decided to open his mouth and sucked on her breast with gentle stroke with his tongue. Namine bit her bottom lip, making it bruise a bit from the suckling movement of Roxas's mouth on her breast. He sucked harder and faster, enjoying the taste of it. The tip of his tongue fiddled with the tip within, making it wet with his saliva. Namine began to have sweat drape over her soft-pedaled body. Roxas bit the tip lightly; his teeth grazing it, making Namine cringe and shout. He then switched breasts giving the other one the same treatment, while the other was wet and red from his tongue and bite marks.

After awhile with playing with Namine's breast, he gave both breasts a firm squeeze, enjoying the texture of them under his large hands. The fact that they fitted perfectly in the palm of his hands made him grin even more. Roxas looked up at Namine's flushed face, her eyes showing pure ecstasy. He climbed over her, kissing her gently and slowly to calm her down a bit. Roxas's chest was smashed together with Namine's still aroused breast, feeling each other's heart beating with haste. Roxas kept kissing Namine, trying to keep her preoccupied as his right hand glided over her slim curves, to her underwear. He smiled between their kiss, entering his hand under her panties. Roxas's hand stopped by Namine's erect clit. His kisses led to Namine's neck, her legs wrapping themselves around her waist; her arms and hands in the meantime, laid across his smooth, but strong wielded back. Namine cringed and grasped tightly around Roxas's neck, feeling the sudden sensation of Roxas's fingers entering inside her most sacred area.

Namine screamed loudly, but only caused a muffled scream as it was covered from Roxas's shoulders. She gave out silent cries as Roxas entered his fingers in and out of her. Namine pinned her nails down onto Roxas's back from the pain, feeling pleasure at the same time. Roxas didn't care of the pain he was receiving from his back, he still continued thrusting his fingers in and out of her. At first, he started it out slowly, but when he heard Namine start to scream his name out in pleasure, Roxas's quickened the pace. Namine felt herself climaxing, "Oh God, Roxas I'm…. I'm going to…" But it was too late. Namine's feminine juices exploded on top of Roxas's fingers, making her shiver from the release.

Namine looked at the scratch marks on his back and gave an apologetic expression, "Roxas, I'm sorry." He shook his head, "No, it's alright." He took his fingers out of her wet panties. He licked the juices off his fingers one by one, enjoying the taste of her, "Namine, you taste so good. Why don't I explore more of your taste?" Namine didn't need an explanation from Roxas's hint. She felt Roxas's hands on the edge of her underwear strap, pulling at the strings. Roxas kissed Namine's forehead as he pulled down her last clothing piece.

After he took it off, he threw her soaked panties to the side with the rest of their clothing. Roxas trailed down kisses, starting from between Namine's breasts, to her creamy stomach, to the nest of blonde curls. Roxas took in the sweet scent of her clit from the last climax she just had; planning on giving her another one. Roxas kissed the sacred place, causing Namine to close her eyes shut from the contact. She took one of the pillows letting out a soft scream within it; but Roxas quickly grabbed it and threw it to the side, wanting to hear her sweet cries for him.

Roxas then licked the sensitive spot slowly, very slowly. Namine felt her hair bangs stick to her forehead from pure sweat, biting down her lips to muffle out her screams. Roxas licked deeper within her, picking up the tempo by licking the sides of her crater. He licked away the remaining juices from before, lifting her thighs up with his hands. Namine helped by arching herself into him, her hands finding his head and grasping his wet blonde mane. Roxas continued to lick deeper and faster until he reached the deepest he can go. In a mad rush, Namine felt like she was going to climax again. She screamed, "God! Roxas! I'm…" this one came faster then the other one. Namine's nectar rushed out of her and into Roxas's mouth. He was satisfied with the amount he was given with, taking everything into his mouth. Roxas's licked his lips of Namine's sweet tasting, slurped up the last bit that was dripping.

Namine's chest roused up and down heavily. She was out of breath, but Roxas wasn't done with her yet. Their next step was their final step to nirvana. Namine looked down to see Roxas's erection. She was scared of its size, but she wanted him. She wanted him inside her, and if only she knew he wanted to grant that to her. Roxas bit his bottom lips as if preparing himself. He looked down at Namine for reassurance. Namine lifted herself up claiming Roxas's lips with her own. She had a good taste of her syrup that was still on his lips.

Namine started unbuckling Roxas's pants, feeling that he couldn't coop up his erection any longer. He helped by taking off his shoes, throwing them away carelessly. Namine dragged his pants and boxers down, revealing his well-grown staff, pleading to be inside her at last. Namine touched the tip of his member with her delicate fingers, causing Roxas to moan out her name. Namine threw Roxas's pants and boxers to the side as she led him down on top of her, her arms lacing themselves around his neck. She spread her legs open for him, waiting for him to join with her. Roxas's settled himself between her legs, their bodies glued to one another.

Roxas looked down at Namine, making sure she was all right, "Namine, are you sure? I mean, this is both of our first time and…" Namine shushed him, putting her index finger to her slim lips to signal silence, "Yes, Roxas, I'll be fine. I know it will hurt, but this is something I want to experience with you… I mean…" Roxas kissed Namine to quiet her nerves, "I know what you mean." He continued kissing Namine with light kisses to settle her tense body. She said she was fine with it, but he could feel the tension in her muscles. Soon Roxas prepared to enter himself inside her, placing his tip at her entrance. Namine grabbed onto Roxas, feeling the tip of his member grazing over her in anticipation.

Roxas started entering slowly inside, Namine squinting from the sudden intrusion. She produced loud cry as she felt Roxas pull himself back, slamming his entire member into her, causing her hymen to rip apart. Namine closed her eyes tightly as she started to cry warm tears from the pain. Roxas kissed her shoulders and neck, rubbing his hands against her arms to calm her down. Namine whimpered, her tears drowning her, "Roxas, it hurts…it hurts so much." Namine could feel the blood seeking out from the ripped skin. Roxas tried to slow it down, "I know Namine, I know, just hold on a little longer and then it'll be over." Roxas felt like crying, hearing the girl that he loved more than anything cry from pain he was causing her. She was so fragile and he felt like she could shatter at any moment if he kept going. Roxas inched forward a bit more, until he was finally at the end of the peek.

Roxas kissed the top of Namine's head, feeling her settle down from her cries. They took a moment to let the pain subside. Namine then nodded her head, motioning him to keep going. Roxas nodded against her, slowly starting trust inside her. Namine started to moan, "Roxas, Roxas…." He kept going with his slow pace, not wanting to hurt her anymore, but Namine embraced him, whispering into his ear, "It's okay, Roxas. You can let go." Roxas was unsure for a few minutes, still willing to be slow for her. Namine whispered again, kissing his ear, "I'll be okay, don't worry. I want this with you Roxas. If this is the only time we'll get this moment, I want to feel you." Roxas smiled warmly, complying with Namine's wishes. He started to pick up the pace, thrusting in faster and harder within her. Namine arched her back into him, putting him more inside her. Soon, Namine and Roxas were following each other's rhythm, keeping each other in sync with the other. They kept the motion in a symmetric form, wanting to feel complete. Namine moaned out louder from each thrust, repeating Roxas's name with each higher vocal than the last.

Namine could hear the echoing of their moans and screams throughout the cave. She also felt the blanket under them become damp and wet from their sweat, the sound of their smacking flesh from each thrust echoing in her ears. Roxas yelled out Namine's name in a moan, feeling he was about to release. He was at the edge of his climax, as well with his Namine, feeling her walls engulfing his member in a fierce grip. With one last thrust; Roxas released his sperms within Namine, traveling inside her womb.

Roxas collapsed on top of her, trying to get air back into him. They were both covered in sweat, hair damped to their foreheads and covering their eyes as they heaved together. Roxas kissed Namine preciously as she stroked his wet hair through her slender fingers.

He smiled, "Namine I'm glad, I'm glad that we finally had let our feelings out like actual beings." Namine kept stroking his hair as she looked at him with pure ecstasy of love, "I am too, Roxas. And, I'm sorry for having any doubts of our feelings before." She placed her hand on her rapid beating heart. Roxas laid his head there to hear her heart racing with his own.

He heard Namine whisper with no fear, no doubt, or uncertainty, "Roxas, I love you. And I know now that it isn't because of someone else's feelings for another. I really do love you." Roxas smiled in bliss, "Finally, you realize that." Namine gave a light laugh at his words. He pulled half of the blanket over them to get some sleep after their passion.

Soon the lovers fell into deep slumber in each others arms; the aftermath of their love making sweeping over them in the cave, proving that nobodies could love emotionally and make passionate love physically.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "Did I just really write that? Well like I said this was my first lemon so go easy on me if you flame me. Well hope you enjoyed it. Please you just got to review even if you didn't like it! Well bye and I REPEAT don't forget to review. RoxasxNamine4ever!"

Roxas: "This chapter was revised to the best of Kiome-Yasha's knowledge."


	2. A morning display of Passion

Declaimer: "I do not own sweet kawaii Namine or Roxas, or KH, KH2, or KHCOM. Well at least I own this story hehe."

Kiome-Yasha: "I like to say that the reviewers who reviewed my story made me cry with joy! Knowing the fact that you guys enjoyed my lemon of our fav couple Namine and Roxas and actually want me to continue made me so happy that I could move on and write a KH fic! As you requested I'm continuing 'Nobodies could feel Passion too.' And for those expecting more lemon your wish has been granted. This new fic I'm developing will have a least one, or two lemon scenes dealing, only with Namine and Roxas! This chapter doesn't count though hehe. Also reviewers I'm not a good proof reader. When I have mistakes in my writing I really don't see it…trust me I'm not good at checking my mistakes, but if you do see mistakes tell me so I could get right on it. FYI this fic is going to have sexual chapters and foul language so reviewers embrace yourself."

Chapter 1 How will it affect them?

The sun rose upon the clean salt water of Destiny Island triggering a sign of morning approaching; the aftermath of last night's event presenting itself as a satisfying memory of two young nobodies. The sunrise's rays sprinkling over the lovely abandoned island. The rays shined through the small cracks within the cave showering over two nude teenagers fast asleep under a warm blanket dried from their sweats'.

Namine shifted in her sleep in annoyance from the light of the sun. She embraced herself towards Roxas smiling from his warmth. Roxas held on tighter to Namine's small waist as a reflex while still asleep. Namine opened her long eyelashes revealing her clear light blue eyes. She smiled up at the sleeping bliss form of Roxas's face. She kissed the tip of his nose lightly careful not to wake him up. Her smile grew wider as she felt their naked bodies pressed together replaying the events of last night in her head.

Namine tried to pry herself out of Roxas's arms deciding to take a shower at the waterfalls. She accomplished her goal placing a pillow beside Roxas as he embraced it thinking it was still her small body he was holding. Namine had the blanket sticking on her back as a result of the sweat she released last night, as she saw sticky spots that were marked on it, not to mention blood resulting of her spilled innocents. Namine slipped it off her back gently as she slowly tiptoed out of the cave.

Namine felt relieved that she and Roxas were the only ones on the island. It would've been unpleasant meeting someone they didn't know to see them there naked and alone. Namine looked up at the clean waterfall as it poured down in a fast, yet smooth wave. Namine put her foot in first to check the temperature of the small pool. Seeing that it was warm enough she pressed her whole naked body in washing away the scent of pure sex on her.

Namine went towards the end of the waterfall pour as it showered down on Namine's delicate smooth pale body. Namine shivered from the collision of rush water as it spilled down on her. Namine sat herself down into the water to cover her body underneath leaving her head the only thing to see above. A sigh escaped her lips as she started paddling a bit with her feet. She felt so refreshed and relax. Namine then smooth her light blonde hair back with her hand getting it back so it wouldn't stick to her face. Soon Namine found herself falling asleep from the tranquil environment.

Roxas stirred in his sleep when his arms sank through the object he was holding. His eyes opened in shock finding the object a little too small to be Namine's slender body. Roxas got up to check his surroundings and any sign of Namine, but he didn't see her anywhere. Roxas put the pillow aside as he started to make haste outside the cave putting the cover around his waist. He stepped out to be welcomed from the sun's heat embrace of morning sunshine.

Roxas then spotted a girl's body drifting inside the small lagoon of the waterfall. Roxas gave a small sweet smile seeing that it was Namine still nude and sleeping endlessly. Roxas pulled the cover off him taking a dip inside the pool with her. Roxas grabbed Namine's hand as she was still unaware of his presents. Roxas then laced his fingers with Namine's as he gave her a gentle kiss on her moist lips.

Namine kissed back enjoying the feeling opening her mouth as Roxas's tongue entered her mouth's temple. Namine moaned out as she felt the person used his right hand to rub her exposed belly button. Namine's mind finally reacted as she jumped back. Roxas stifled a laugh of Namine's shock expression.

Namine settled down seeing that it was Roxas all this time and not someone else. She put her hand between her chests with relief. Roxas gave a small smile, "Sorry Namine I didn't mean to scare you, but you looked so pleasant and I couldn't resist the urge to kiss you." Namine swam towards him and kissed his lips tenderly slipping her small wet tongue in his mouth, escaping a moan out of Roxas. Roxas embraced Namine by her waist as she pulled back, "Its okay. I was only taking a bath to take the smell off me."

Roxas stood dumbfounded, "What smell?" realization hit him, "Oh yeah that!" Roxas blushed remembering what him and Namine performed last night. They made love. They made love as real actual people in love and not as soulless people calling themselves nobodies. Still though Roxas's conscious got the better him of his suppose gentle nature.

Roxas bend his head down in shame, "I'm sorry Namine." Namine was confused, "Why are you saying sorry for?" Roxas took a quick glance up at her before turning his head down, "For taking advantage of you last night. I didn't mean for it to go that far, but the darkness took the better of me. I swear I won't let that happen again." Namine placed a comforting hand on Roxas's skinny, yet broad chest, smiling up at him water still dripping on her angelic face, "It wasn't the darkness of lust Roxas. It was the light of love that made us do what we did last night. Besides like I said I wanted that moment with you."

Namine placed her forehead on his chest stifling a small sob "I love you Roxas. I don't regret what happened last night and you shouldn't either." Roxas placed his hands on Namine's shoulders lifting her self up to see tears trailing down her flush face. Roxas smiled wanting her again, but resisted. Namine reading his thoughts forced a kiss on Roxas's lips. Roxas was surprised, but gave in to Namine's wishes.

Roxas pushed Namine's back against the wall behind the waterfall darkness and light engulfing them, with the blue reflection of the water surrounding the small open cave. The water of the waterfall continuing to fall behind them, as they both didn't take notice of their surroundings anymore as the water colliding in the pool was nothing more than an echo of lost time to them. Before they knew it, they were both in their own world.

Namine gasped from the impact of her back being pressed up against the wall. She laced her legs around Roxas waist as he held on to her sitting her up, drowning her in kisses. Namine and Roxas kiss turned aggressive as their tongues battled on. Namine lost though as Roxas gave her a firm squeeze on her ass. Roxas forced his tongue into Namine's mouth as he kept her in place between the wall and him.

Namine had her eyes shut tight as she found herself feeling Roxas's erection growing underneath her in the clear clean water. Roxas sucked on Namine's tongue making it wet further with his. Namine felt sweat dripping at the side of her face merging with the water of the falls from the pressure of hers and Roxas's kiss. Roxas's hands moved to Namine's waist giving it a tight grasp. Namine's hands played with Roxas's wet hair as it dripped over his eyes hiding the strong lust and love of passion under them.

Roxas then let go of Namine's lips to see hunger in her eyes. Namine gave a grin as she kissed his lips lightly nibbling Roxas's bottom lip in small innocent bites. Namine kissed his jaw to his neck sucking on it tenderly. Roxas closed his eyes and moaned when he felt Namine licked down his shoulders leaving wet marks of her tongue on him. She then licked down to his chest taking a few bites here and there. Roxas groaned while Namine sucked and kissed away on his smooth chest.

Namine then let her right hand rub against Roxas chest tickling him as her fingertips swirled around rubbing his torso. Roxas was in pure delight and pleasure of Namine's touches. Roxas didn't notice Namine's left hand snaking its way down under the water to his strong pointed out erection. Roxas groaned when he felt Namine's hold on his member. Namine smirked as she kissed Roxas chest. She also shivered as she whispered against his chest, "Roxas I don't want you to think I'm all that innocent. I really want you to feel pleasure too, though I'm a little scared how to do about it."

Namine lifted her head up at Roxas flushed face. Roxas smiled down at her as she gave an unsure, scared feeling, "Namine you don't have to do anything you don't want to do." Namine shook her head lightly as water splashed side to side, "No I want to give it a try." Namine kissed Roxas slipping her tongue in, but Roxas got the better of her as he took over. Namine's left hand though started stroking Roxas's penis. Roxas groaned against her mouth. Namine stroked harder as Roxas thrust his member in her hand following her strokes. Namine felt Roxas's rod getting harder than before. She knew he was going to explode if she kept going and she did. Roxas kept thrusting his penis in her hand to get more pleasure. He felt himself rising. Before he knew it he threw his head back closing his eyes tight as he released himself under the water.

Sweat was dripping over him as he shook from his orgasm spilling out of him. Namine gave a seductive smile. She lifted her hand up out of the water putting her arms around Roxas. Roxas shudder as he now knew that even though sweet and innocent Namine is; he now knew the other side of her when it came to them having sex.

Catching a moments breather Roxas hands moved up to Namine's round full erected breasts giving them a good squeeze like he did on Namine's waist and ass. Namine gasped, but was swallowed up when Roxas covered her mouth again with his tongue. Roxas then let go of Namine's swollen mouth to kiss down a moist path of water and his saliva of hunger for Namine. He ended his path at her sweet pink perked nipples, beckoning him to taste them. Roxas licked the sensitive tip from Namine's left breast slowly up and down in a smooth rhythm.

Namine gave a silent moan. Roxas smirked against her nipple as he licked around the pink spot. He slowly massaged her other nipple with his hand flipping the tip back and forth with his thumb. Namine shivered from the pleasure losing her powers on what she did to him earlier as she crawled back to her vulnerable, fragile self. Namine then punched her hands to the side of the wall biting her lip, punching against the hard surface making her hands bruise. Taking notice of this Roxas grabbed her wrist and pinned them above her.

Roxas shifted his mouth to the other nipple giving it the same satisfaction. Roxas then laced his fingers around Namine's smaller ones as she squeezed on. Namine moaned louder feeling at the peek that it was just unbearable of the pleasure Roxas was giving her.

Namine then felt Roxas's erected member forcing itself inside her precious entrance making her scream in pain. Roxas decided to take it slow considering even though he took her virginity last night she still wasn't use to his size. Roxas pinned harder against Namine to the wall as he released her hands. Namine tighten her hands on Roxas's shoulders, her nails forcing down in pain.

Roxas continued to fiddle with Namine's breasts as he sucked harder putting more force of his lips upon them. Namine gasped breath, after breath, "Roxas! Oh God Roxas! I can't take it!" Roxas licked her pink redden nipple acting like it was some kind of suckling, chewing toy.

Roxas entered slowly into Namine as she squeezed tighter onto his shoulders. She was in pure heaven. He finally let go of her tits as he left so much drool that it was hard for the water to take it off. Roxas took claim on Namine's open mouth forcing his tongue in once more as she yelped. Roxas fully entered her in the meanwhile as he began thrusting.

Namine tried to voice out her words that it hurt, but she couldn't Roxas dripping wet tongue was almost practically drowning her. Roxas's mind and heart was screaming as darkness was taking hold of him. Realizing how much he was actually hurting Namine he stopped.

Roxas took his tongue and lips out of Namine's lips showing a trail of saliva. Roxas shook his head in shame as tears started appearing under his water blue eyes, "I'm sorry Namine, I'm so sorry." Roxas began to pull his member out of her, but Namine grabbed hold of him tightening her legs around his waist while biting her bottom lip nervously.

Roxas looked at her in astonishment. Namine gave Roxas one of her sweet smiles as she whispered in his ear, "Roxas its okay. It just hurt for a bit…please…" Roxas stiffened from her plead, but nodded as he embraced her.

Roxas then began thrusting into Namine again. Namine put her head on Roxas's shoulder giving out moans after each thrust. Roxas thrust harder and faster into her making Namine's hips rise higher and higher. Namine felt her back hitting the wall after each powerful blow Roxas hit into her. She pleaded, "Roxas Please faster…Harder!" Roxas did just that not holding anything back.

Namine couldn't take it as she hit the back of her head against the wall giving silent shouts of cries mouthing out Roxas's name. Roxas encouraged, "You can do it Namine. Yell out my name." Namine found her voice as she screamed out her eyes shutting tightly her chest pressing together against Roxas while she arc her back, "Roxas! Roxas! Ro..ROXAS!" Roxas thrust harder and deeper into his beloved Namine.

Namine felt Roxas hand take the back of her head as he leaned her into another kiss. She was falling a bit into the water as she felt her legs go numb around Roxas waist. Roxas pulled Namine legs back up as he took hold of them with his hands. Namine felt her body shiver. She was at the brink of an orgasm. She shouted loudly as her orgasm spilled over Roxas's member, but he continued with his stamina. He kept thrusting making Namine feel another orgasm rising up within her.

Roxas kissed Namine's cheek seeing the redness on her small face. He felt her walls closing in on his penis. Roxas screamed into Namine's shoulder as he spilled his seeds within her the rush sweeping over both of them as Namine also released her own orgasm. Namine collapsed on Roxas as he caught her.

Roxas gave a short laugh, "So much for that bath to wash off last night's intoxication." Namine only smiled sweat dripping over her body more than the water pouring down on them. Namine nodded, but fear appeared over her eyes as she saw her hand disappearing. Namine stuttered in fear, "Ro..Roxas…loo..look. My hand is disappearing." Roxas lifted Namine up towards him to see her hand. She was right. Her hand was indeed vanishing, but how come it wasn't affecting him?

Roxas put Namine down after sliding his member out of her. She let her legs unlace around his waist. Roxas cupped her worried face into his hands, "We need to get you back inside Kairi. Let's go." Namine nodded as Roxas turned his back towards her and motioned her to climb on. Namine climbed on his back as Roxas swam towards the edge of the lagoon climbing over the rocks both of them dripping from sweat and moist water.

They went back to the secret cave of their last residents gathering everything and getting dress returning to the boat to their original residents…Kairi's and Sora's bodies.

Roxas and Namine tried to get there as fast as they can considering their morning delay of pleasure they hoped Sora and Kairi haven't woken up yet. As they came to the cross road between Sora's and Kairi's house Roxas pulled Namine to him giving her a swift kiss. They both gave the kiss an intense one considering the next time they meet would be for awhile. Roxas let go of Namine's wet, redden lips promising her, "We'll talk again Namine and hopefully we won't give into each others desires." Roxas laughed as his light mood dropped into a serious one, "And I promise you we'll figure this out. This can't only be affecting you… it has to affect me too."

Namine nodded from reassurance. Roxas planted another kiss until he took off to Sora's house. Namine stood awhile in silent as she looked down to see her arm beginning to disappear. She then took off to the other side of the road to Kairi's house.

Roxas made it to Sora's house and entered the room in a quick matter to discover that Sora was already awake. Sora turned around in shock having a bowl of cereal in his hand milk dripping down his chin and a stupid look on his face that Roxas had to keep his composure to stifle a laugh. Sora barely knew Roxas only that he was his alter ego.

Sora gave a confuse look and asked, "How are you running around freely? Aren't you supposed to be inside me? No wonder I felt weird this morning." Roxas sat across Sora, "Sorry about that." Sora smiled his cheesy smile, "Hey no prob. So why did you leave out of me anyway?" Roxas blushed from the question as Namine flashed through his mind.

Sora asked not taking notice of Roxas redden face, "Hey could Namine do that too?" Roxas nodded. Sora then figured it out, "Oh so you two got together last night then." Sora gave a smirk as he poked his reflection's arm. Roxas sweat nervously wondering if he should tell Sora what he and Namine did. He wondered if Namine was having any luck entering back into Kairi's body.

Namine entered Kairi's house to see Kairi still fast asleep in her room. Namine felt relieved. She dropped the pillows to the side as she prepared to descend inside Kairi, but froze when Kairi opened her eyes in shock to see an almost transparent Namine.

Kairi sat up asking in worry, "Namine! What's going on? Why are you like that? And where have you been? I felt strange in the middle of the night? Did you actually separate yourself from me?" Namine was a little taken back from the number of questions. And knowing Namine she told Kairi the truth…well not entirely the truth.

Namine took a big breath fearing she didn't have much time left, "I got out of you in the middle of the night to talk to Roxas." Kairi asked confused, "Roxas?" Namine answered, "Sora's nobody. We both decided to go to Destiny Island in the middle of the night to talk." Kairi raised her eyes in suspicion, "Talk?" Namine nodded feeling her face starting to fade, but still having a warm crimson blush appearing on her face brightly.

Kairi shifted her legs so they dangled over her bed, "That doesn't explain why you're disappearing?" Namine nodded to answer, "That's because I can't stay out long without you as my shell. That's what I'm guessing because this wasn't happening to Roxas." Namine turned her head down to the floor in deep thought.

Kairi climbed off her bed, "It wasn't. That doesn't make sense though. How come it's only affecting you?" Namine shook her head in confusion, "I honestly don't know." Kairi nodded in understanding and determination to figure this out as well with Namine.

Kairi asked though not fully getting the story out of Namine, "Namine is talking the only thing you and Roxas did?" Namine blushed yet again, but answered, "Yes. What else could've happened?" Kairi nodded trusting Namine's answer, "Okay just want to make sure you were okay." Namine then spirited herself inside Kairi.

Kairi felt strange from the sudden completion, "I have to get use to that." Kairi got dress getting out of her pajamas and putting on her white sleeveless shirt and pink dress jumper as she headed towards Riku's house hoping he had an answer to all this considering he was with the Organization and knew more about them than anyone around the island.

"WHAT?" shouted Sora as Roxas told his and Namine's little night and morning action. Roxas tried to shush him up as Sora had dropped his cereal bowl in awe shock, "Will you be quiet?" Sora asked while shouting, "I can't believe it! Are nobodies really allowed to do that?" Roxas gave Sora and blank expression, "We're not aliens, or another species you know?"

Sora was still appalled, "Yeah, but still! Wait this doesn't affect me and Kairi in anyway does it?" Roxas didn't thought about that until now, but he gave Sora an honest answer, "I really don't know. I mean I don't think it does… I doubt it." Sora put a comforting hand on his chest, "I hope not. That's between you and Namine's experience." Not long Sora got a phone call.

Sora picked up the phone to hear a panicked Riku, "Sora is Roxas there with you?" Sora answered confused, "Yeah why?" Riku replied, "I'll explain later I need you and Roxas too come over it's about Namine." Sora took a glance at Roxas with a worried look then answered, "Alright! We'll be there, at your place right?" "Yeah" Riku answered and hang up.

Sora looked towards Roxas, "It's about Namine." Roxas looked down to the floor in worry, "I'm guessing it's about her disappearing act." Sora asked quizzically, "Disappearing act?" Roxas demanded, "I'll explain later! Come on let's go!" Sora nodded in agreement.

Roxas stepped up to Sora as he glitter away back inside him. Sora wobbled from the feeling of being whole again, "Man that felt so weird." Sora dashed out of the house. He was determine to see what was wrong and prays that it wasn't anything serious.

Sora asked Roxas though in his mind as he kept running, "Roxas you still there?" Roxas replied sleepy, 'Yeah I'm here. Just tell me when we get there. I'm feeling a little tired right now.' Sora grinned, "Considering last night and this morning I bet you are." Roxas scorned, "Just be quiet and keep going." Sora nodded as he kept running to Riku's house, while Roxas was fast asleep fleeting into a dream.

Roxas was covered in darkness. He didn't know where he was he looked right to left only to be greeted with darkness. Roxas then heard a familiar voice, "Welcome to the realm of pure darkness number thirteen." Roxas shouted back, "My name is Roxas!"

The evil voice snickered, "Yes to them and your sweet innocent Namine, but to us you are a nobody who can't deny that he once searched on wanting a heart filled with hatred, rage, and LUST in the Organization." The voice toyed with the lust word to get his point.

Roxas smirked, "Yeah your right. I can't hide the fact that I was a member in a bad Organization like that one, but I fixed my mistakes by meeting my original self and being reunited with Namine." The voice mocked Roxas, "Silly boy. You hold such dreams and future with her, when you don't even know the reason why she's disappearing and your not."

Roxas asked in shock, "Then you know?" the voice answered evilly, "As a matter a fact I do." Roxas pleaded, "Then tell me. What's wrong with Namine?" the voice asked in astonishment, "Hahaha you hold such feelings for each other that it's sickening. How could two nobodies fall for each other when they don't even have a heart to begin with?" Roxas growled at the mysterious voice, "I don't give a damn about your fucking logic! Just tell me what's wrong with Namine?"

The voice stood silent until it finally spoke, "Such rage. Now that is the true being of a heart." Roxas spat out in disgust, "I hate you! Now are you going to answer me, or not?" the voice's laughter could be heard around Roxas. At that time Roxas drew out two of his keyblades 'Oblivion' and 'Oathkeeper.' The voice stopped laughing out loud as it only stifles laughter, "Now, now settle down. I can help you save Namine, but I won't tell you what's wrong with her."

Roxas disperse his keyblades, giving up, "Fine you don't have to tell me what's wrong with her, but tell me how I could save her from leaving me." The voice gave its offer, "Join back with the Organization. And I promise you your Namine will be saved." Roxas asked, "The Organization? But Sora and the others destroyed them!" the voice gave a short laugh, "I'm forming a new Organization along with a few old friends of ours. Now do we have a deal, or Namine isn't that precious to you that you would refuse to join the Organization that you so despise."

Roxas was about to answer until a blinding light appeared taking him away from his dark dream and back into the world of light.

Kiome-Yasha: "Hehe true lovers have sex the night before and again in a morning shower plus the plot is ticking. Well hope you enjoyed this chapter and the beginning of my KH story. Plus I hope you enjoyed the lemon in the beginning as well. Well like it or not I hope you still review. Plz review! Byz for now!"


	3. Late Night Discussions

Declaimer: "I do not own Roxie, or Nami. I can't say I own KH, KH2, or KHCOM either. Life sucks and you know it."

Kiome-Yasha: "Update is a word I like to consider a deadline. Your reviewers say it all the time and it puts pressure on you. I like that lol. It makes me feel happy that you guys actually want me to continue on. Well here's chapter 2, or 3 whatever fits best to you. Sorry no lemon in this one, but I hope that doesn't stop you from reading lol just kidding I know some of us aren't perverts out there. This one does deal with Namine and Roxas having a talk though of the situation. Plus they sleep together, no not like that sleep together. Well enjoy!"

Chapter 2 The Late night Discussion

Roxas woke up in a jump start as he felt like someone was hitting his head. Believe, or not it was Sora hitting his own head waking Roxas up making him groan a groggy way.

Roxas shouted in annoyance, 'What the hell? Are you crazy, or something?' Sora was a bit taken back, but spoke curiously, "Hey could I tell Riku and Kari what happen between you and Namine." Roxas answered regretting on telling Sora, 'No, I don't even think Namine wanted me to tell you.' Sora said embarrassedly, "Oh sorry. I'll stop talking about that now." Roxas sighed, 'Please do.'

Before Roxas knew it they were in front of Riku's house…which looked like a mansion. Roxas asked, 'Is Riku considered the richest kid on this island?' Sora answered smiling a bit, "You can say that."

Roxas then took the time to leave out of Sora. Sora jumped back in fear. Roxas looked annoyed, "What are you waiting for? Ring the door bell." He demanded. Sora nodded as he pressed his index finger on the polish button. Roxas shook his head and mocked with a smirk, "Sharp as ever." Sora glared, but someone opened the door. It was Riku.

Riku scowled at the both of them, "Bout time you two got here." Roxas asked in a worry tone, "Is Namine okay?" Riku nodded with a smile of reassurance, "She's fine she made it back to Kairi in one peace and is whole again." Roxas placed a hand on his chest as he entered the house along with Sora behind him.

Riku closed the door and lead the way to his room where Kairi was sitting on his chair by his desk. Sora greeted Kairi, "Hey Kairi!" Kairi smiled, "Morning Sora!" Riku mumbled, "Will the two of you get a room!" Kairi and Sora blushed from the comment.

Roxas sat on the floor, "Can we discuss on the real reason why we're here." Riku nodded as he and Sora sat on the bed. Riku was the first to speak, "All I know is that nobodies could disappear if they don't get back to their original selves in time. This was the reason why Xemnas was anxious on making his own heart along with the other members, but there were few exceptions. Like Namine and Roxas situation." Everyone leaned in as they all listened carefully to Riku's theory.

Riku continued, "Roxas your not facing the same problem am I correct?" Roxas nodded, "Yeah, but to be safe I still keep myself inside Sora as my host." Riku replied, "Good we don't want to take any chances, but to tell you the truth I don't know why this is affecting Namine." Roxas slump his head down in disappointment. He was really hoping for Riku to have the answers he was searching for.

Kairi asked worried, "So what are we going to do? That means Namine can't come out ever until we figure this out?" Roxas panicked. Please anything, but that. He wants to see Namine more than anything right now telling him that she's here to stay.

Riku reassured them, "I doubt it." He shifted himself on the bed, "I think Namine just needs you to regenerate her when the time comes Kairi. But I think she could still come out to speak with Roxas. She just has to be careful on how she uses the time she's able to use when walking around freely."

Sora asked while crossing his legs, "So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Riku lifted himself up and headed towards his balcony, "I think I'll go see his majesty King Mickey to let him know. To see if he has any answers to all this. He knew Ansem pretty well so I think he might have some leads."

They all nodded in unison agreeing with the plan. Sora got up with a yawn and suggested, "Hey while Riku does all the work why don't we all go to Destiny Island." Sora grinned while looking at Roxas who blushed knowing where Sora was edging at. Namine also felt herself blush within Kari unaware of Sora's knowledge.

Riku sighed, "I guess I'm left with all the work again. I'll go prepare myself then, to go to the Kingdom right away, with the Gummi ship his majesty left behind for us." After that Riku left out the door to his rather huge backyard to get ready.

Kairi felt guilty leaving Riku with all the responsibility and volunteered to help, "I'll meet you guys there. I'll help Riku in the mean time." Sora was upset from her answer, but gave in with a shrug, "Okay. Come one Roxas."

Kairi yelped in surprise though when she heard Namine scream, 'Wait!' Sora and Roxas halted there leave from Kairi's sudden jolt. Kairi asked Namine, "What's wrong?" Sora and Roxas stood confused, but then figured it was Namine she was talking to.

Namine answered meekly, 'I want to go with Roxas.' Kairi answered in concern, "Are you sure Namine?" Namine nodded, 'Yes, I'll just wait for you when you get there after helping Riku.' Kairi gave a questioning look. Namine replied quickly, 'Don't worry I've regenerated myself enough to walk out on my own.' Kairi gave up, "Okay."

Namine stepped out of Kairi's body standing a bit transparent, but became whole when she smiled at Roxas who smiled back.

Sora then pressed forward to the door, "Okay let's go!" They all stepped out while Kairi went to the back to help Riku giving Sora and gentle kiss on the cheek, "I'll get there as fast, as I can." Sora answered laughing a bit, "You better." Kairi laughed.

Sora looked back at Namine and Roxas who had there hands laced. Sora couldn't take it, "I know what the two of you did Namine." Namine was dumbfounded. Sora smirked, "I know that you and Roxas had sex." Namine blushed all over her body as she looked at Roxas who had a death glare at Sora.

Namine grew mad as she punched Roxas arm lightly, "You told him?" Namine had pure embarrassment written all over her face and voice. Roxas rubbed his arm explaining himself, "I didn't mean to. It just slipped out." Namine continued to glare at him. Sora tried to relax the tension in the air, "Come on guys. Let's not fight over this. I promise I won't tell anyone else." Roxas and Namine looked at Sora not sure to trust him still.

Sora lifted his right hand up to the side, "Scout's honor." Roxas said irritated enough as it is, "Yeah right like you were in scouts." Sora gave a nervous laugh. Namine lighten her face into a smile forgetting her mad mood, "Forget it. It can't be undone. Let's just go to Destiny Island and wait for Kairi." Namine laced her hands over Roxas's again giving it a painful squeeze. Roxas squinted from the pain.

Sora laughed loudly as they headed towards the boats and said, "Hey when we get there can you guys promise that you won't DO it in front of me." Roxas glared at Sora while Namine blushed.

Kairi lifted a basket of food to Riku for his journey. Kairi smiled, "Have a safe journey Riku. Come back safe." Riku nodded as he started the engine, "Yeah I will." Riku put his seatbelt on as he answered seriously, "I want those two to have the best time as they can right now." Kairi looked surprise, but knew who Riku was talking about, "You mean Roxas and Namine."

Riku nodded as the ship lifted up in midair, "Something's definitely up. Something huge and I don't like it. It's something we can't avoid. I feel the forces of the darkness swirling." Kairi asked worried, "You don't think its Xemnas do you?" Riku answered as he took off, "I don't know. Right now we just have to be careful and figure things out. Make sure Roxas doesn't worry too much about Namine. If he does…I fear he might do something he'll regret."

Kairi nodded giving a stern look as Riku took off to the sky of the outer border of the worlds. Kairi stood there for awhile longer before the swirl dust of wind settled down from the launch. She then turned slowly to leave to Destiny Island.

Roxas, Namine, and Sora got to the island not too long ago. Roxas and Namine sat on top of the papou fruit tree telling Sora they wanted to be alone while he waited for Kairi at the docks.

Namine dangled her legs back and forth. Roxas couldn't take the dream that he had of the mysterious, yet familiar voice. Namine noticed Roxas discomfort, "Roxas what's wrong?" Roxas grabbed onto Namine's hand giving it a gentle squeeze, "Nothing's wrong. Are you sure you're able to hold out until Kairi arrives."

Namine looked down feeling she was beginning to vanish, but shook it off to not bother Roxas about it, "I'm fine." Namine decided to change the subject, "Feels weird coming back to the island again after…" she blushed remembering the kisses, and touches. Roxas smiled, "Yeah it does." He gently placed his lips on Namine's savoring it.

Namine wrapped her arms around his neck making the kiss more passionate. They both let go to get some air as they panted. Roxas said in a worry whisper, "I don't want you disappearing on me ever again Namine." Namine smiled placing a hand on his cheek as he stiffened from her warm touch against his cold cheek, "I won't. I promise."

Roxas wasn't sure though. He began feeling her warm hand becoming cold. Roxas had flashes of the voice's offer.

Flashback

"Join back with the Organization and I promise you your Namine will be saved."

End of flashback

Roxas gave in a deep thought as he put his hand over Namine's on his cheek, 'Join back with the Organization. I'll do anything to have Namine stay.' Roxas felt Namine's hand become whole as he held on to it with his own.

He whispered out loud in a plea, "Namine…" Namine heard his uncertain voice and embraced him. Namine thought to herself, 'I'm scared. Roxas I'm very scared, but I don't want you to know that. I don't want you to do anything drastic that it might change you completely.' Namine embraced tighter to him.

They let go of each other as Roxas knelt down to Namine's face. He gave her another kiss, his tongue licking around it lightly making Namine moan as tears slowly fell down her snow white face.

Roxas begged for entrance as Namine felt him pushing his tongue against her white teeth. Namine gladly open herself up to him as his tongue licked hers. He slowly toyed with it, holding Namine close, his hand brushing away her tears slowly.

In the distance Sora could see them and shouted, "Hey! What did I just say about doing THAT in front of me?" Both Namine and Roxas turned around with a bewilder expression.

Sora climbed in between them having his trademark grin, "Sorry to intrude, but I got bored waiting for Kairi to show up." Namine laughed, while Roxas was annoyed. Sora saw Roxas's expression, "Oh come on Roxas. Are you pissed at me because I ruined your tender moment with Namine?" Roxas crossed his arms as Namine and Sora laughed.

Sora looked at Namine in concern, "So how you're holding up Namine?" Namine answered with a smile, "Actually I'm fine, still solid." Sora smiled as he whispered in Namine's ear, "So where did you guys do it?" Namine blushed. Roxas bunked Sora on the head eavesdropping his failed whisper.

Sora smiled with a grin plastered on his face, "God I'm having fun with this." Roxas quirked a brow, "I bet you are hentai." Sora was appalled, "Roxas I assure you I'm no perv, just a bit of a tease." Namine gave a half laugh until she spotted Kairi in the distance on the shore walking up to them.

Sora waved highly, "Kairi hey!" Kairi walked up to them as she sat next to Namine, "Namine are you doing okay?" Namine replied to comfort her that nothing was wrong, "Yeah I'm fine. How was Riku's launch?" Kairi looked out to the ocean seeing the sun going down a bit. Time sure flies by when something evil was brewing.

Kairi looked back at the three of them, "It was fine. He's heading out to the Kingdom right now." Kairi then slumped to a sadden expression remembering Riku's troubling words. Sora asked quizzically, "Kairi you okay?" Kairi nodded as her only answer.

Kairi asked, "Namine you think you can hold out the rest of the day?" Namine asked confused, "Why?" Kairi shrugged, "I just thought you wanted to spend more time with Roxas." Roxas gave a pleading look to Namine.

Namine nodded her hair bouncing with glee, "I would love that. Thank you." Sora though wasn't sure, "Are you sure? We don't want anything bad to happen." Namine nodded to make sure this is what she wanted.

Sora smirked as he whispered back to Roxas, "Looks like you and Namine are going to have another round of things." Roxas sighed, knowing Sora will never let this go.

'Yeah definitely was a bad idea on telling Sora of all people about me and Namine.' Roxas thought on his stupidity.

Kairi decided to leave Roxas and Namine alone, "Hey Sora why don't we go inside the secret cave?" Sora asked in confusion, "Huh How come?" Roxas pleaded while offering at the same time, "Please do take him with you." Kairi took Sora's arm lacing it with hers as they headed down to the cave,

Namine blushed. Roxas raised his brow up in amusement, "You sure do blush a lot Namine." Namine covered her face with her hands looking away from Roxas, "It's just that… that's were we…" Roxas smiled, "Namine you're too cute." Namine turned around to see Roxas's plastered grin. She smiled.

Namine then looked up to see the sun as it held up over the water giving it an orange bathing glow. It reminded her of Twilight Town. Namine asked uncomfortably, "Roxas?" Namine caught his attention, "Do you miss your life in Twilight Town?" Roxas gave in a deep thought before answering, "To tell you the truth I do." Namine had tears swelling up, but Roxas continued, "But I was living a lie. I was pretending to be a somebody… when I'm nothing more than a Nobody. Besides I got to meet you didn't I?"

Namine looked up at Roxas as her tears glittered from the sunlight and slowly spilled down her face. Roxas kissed her tears away, "Namine I don't regret it, if that's what you're thinking." Namine beamed up at Roxas.

Namine then asked, "But what about the friends you made?" Roxas sat closer to her as he slid down the gap putting his arm around her waist, "I miss them there's no doubt about it, but I rather look at the bright side of things." Namine prompt up in curiosity, "Like what?" Roxas held her waist tighter, "Like meeting and being with you. And making new friends like Sora, Kairi, Riku and Donald and Goofy."

Namine gasped happily feeling good about his answer, "Thank you." she whispered. Roxas looked down at her, "No Thank you Namine for guiding me, and being my light." Roxas placed his head on Namine's as they both looked ahead at the glowing sight of the ocean as the sun descended down.

Sora was still confused as him and Kairi entered the cave. He turned around his arms waving in exasperation, "Kairi why did we have to leave like that?" Kairi shushed him angrily, "Because Riku wants them to spend time with each other. Think about it Sora they don't get chances like this considering their fate." Sora slumped down depressingly, "Your right. I feel sorry for them as nobodies."

Kairi walked pass Sora as she looked down at the drawing from their pass childhood. She smiled of the sight of the papou fruit. Kairi asked, "Sora we promised to always be together right?" Kairi felt Sora nodded. She pressed forward on what she was getting at, "Now we have to make that promise for two other people."

Sora looked at Kairi, "You mean Namine and Roxas." Kairi knelt down to the floor sitting in front of the mural, "They deserve to be together as much as we do." Sora sat down beside her, "But I don't understand. How could two nobodies hold such feelings of love, or any other emotion without a heart?" Kairi answered believing in Roxas's and Namine's feelings, "Maybe the two of them don't need hearts or us to exist. Maybe all they need is each other."

Kairi lifted herself off the ground dusting the dirt off her dress, "Come on Sora. We should head back to Namine and Roxas and head home." Sora nodded as he grabbed Kairi's hand and heaved himself up. They both began heading out the cave not noticing a dark figure in a black cloth behind them in the shadows.

Kairi and Sora saw Namine and Roxas resting on each others shoulders'. They didn't want to disturb them, but had no choice seeing that the sun was half-way down. Sora poked Roxas on the cheek as he yelped out in surprise. Namine was thrown back, but Kairi grabbed her shoulders before she fell off.

Roxas yelled out in fury, "What the hell? Why can't you wake me up normally?" Sora and Namine including Kairi only laughed at Roxas's redden face. They all got off the papou tree and started heading down to the boats on the shore.

Sora then suggested with a smile, "Hey how about we all sleep at my place? I mean me and Kairi don't have school until Monday…" Kairi interrupted, "Which is in two days." Sora gave a half-heartily laugh. Namine agreed though, "Hey that sounds like a good idea." Sora smiled with pride from Namine's answer, "Yeah! Plus we can introduce you guys to few other friends of ours."

Kairi face lifted up from the opportunity, "Yeah we can introduce you guys to Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus." Namine nodded while Roxas stayed quiet lost in his own thoughts. The three of them notice his silence and Namine asked, "Roxas are you okay? You've been acting strange all morning after meeting us up at Riku's." Roxas shook his thoughts off as he lied, "Yeah trust me I'm fine just having a lot on my mind."

Riku's words then flashed through Kairi's mind. She said, "If its Namine your worried about, don't." she smiled at him as she continued, "Riku will figure this out in no time." Roxas only gave Kairi a blank look not really taking in her words of comfort. Besides anything they say is too late.

They all got on separate boats heading back home to the central island residents. When they made it there they all packed up some things at Kairi's house before heading to Sora's. After getting what they needed they began walking down the path to Sora's house, the sun almost vanishing as late afternoon came.

Sora opened the door quietly to be welcomed with the scent of fresh cooking. Sora figured his Mom was home cooking judging from the scent of spaghettis. Sora called out loud, "Mom I'm home. And I brought Kairi and some new friends with me to sleep over!" Sora's mom stepped out revealing her soft young beauty.

She had black hair that made it down her mid back with brown highlights. She had big brown eyes. She smiled at Kairi, Roxas, and Namine, "Hi I'm Rinoa. Sora's Mother." They all greeted her with a smile. Rinoa cleaned her hands with her apron as she said, "Well dinners ready. Why don't all of you sit down and have something to eat." They all nodded as they all entered the kitchen.

They open out the chairs as it made a dragging sound under the floor. Roxas was the one to ask noticing the incomplete picture, "Um ma'am where's your Husband?" Rinoa froze for a second before answering with a sweet smile, "He left ages ago." Not bothering to stress about it any further considering Sora's silence which was unusual and his Mother's quiet character Roxas didn't ask any further questions as he began eating quietly.

Night had approached when they all finished eating. Rinoa pointed up the stairs while cleaning up the table, "There's another extra room upstairs. The four of you can decide yourselves who gets which room with who." She then winked at them making the four of them blush. They made themselves up the stairs and into the blue painted, pictured frame walls of the hall; making sure Rinoa didn't hear him, Roxas said, "Dude your mom's a freak." Roxas laughed at Sora's mad growl, "Shut up."

They stood between the two rooms. Sora placed his hand on his chin in a thoughtful way he then chirped up making the decision, "I'll make this simple me and Kairi stay in my room. Roxas and Namine get the extra room. Well now that, that's decided good-night!" Sora grabbed hold of Kairi's arm as he led her to his room closing the door behind Namine and Roxas.

Roxas and Namine stood there blushing like bashful teenagers in love, which they were two bashful teenagers in love. Roxas spoke as he opened the door to the other room carefully, "Well it's not like its anything new to us. We've gone through bigger steps between us." Namine put her arms on her back answering shyly, "Ye...Yeah."

Sora had his ear to the door as Kairi slipped into Sora's bed giving him a glare as she said, "Leave them alone. So their shy so what?" Sora whispered Kairi barely hearing him, "If only you knew." Sora decided to stop listening as he heard the other door in the hall close.

Sora turned back to Kairi as he put down his sleeping bag on the floor. Kairi suggested with a tint of pink appearing over her rosy cheeks, "Wouldn't it be better if we shared the same bed, so the both of us feel comfortable." Sora took a glance at Kairi eyeing her. Kairi looked out Sora's huge, open window hiding her blush. Sora slowly got up from the floor slipping inside the bed next to Kairi.

Kairi froze as she felt Sora getting in with her and taking her face in his hands making her look into his deep blue ocean eyes. Sora's eyes glistened from the moonlight as he kept his gaze on Kairi's lips. Before Kairi could react Sora had her pin to the bed his lips smashed on hers. Kairi moaned out loud as she felt Sora's wet hungry tongue lick her lips teasingly.

Kairi gasped as she opened her mouth and felt Sora forcing his tongue in. Sora then let his free hand grope Kairi's firm, soft breasts. Kairi moaned out Sora's name in a low whisper. Sora's tongue softly massaged Kairi's tongue making it wet with his. Sora let go of the kiss for air as he felt Kairi underneath him shiver and panting together with his chest.

Sora smirked seductively as he bowed his head to the side of Kairi's ear whispering in a husky voice that ran shivers down Kairi's back, "If only my Mom or any other person wasn't home." Sora gave Kairi a soft blow in her ear as they both started laughing.

Sora then rolled to his side, "Let's get some sleep ne?" Kairi nodded as she laced her arms around Sora's chest falling asleep, Sora smiled as he too closed his eyes and let the sand man do his work.

In the other room Namine and Roxas both sat on the bed feeling nervous. Roxas kept repeating in his mind, 'Do not give into temptation, do not give into temptation, do not give into temptation…' all of a sudden Namine lifted herself up and opened the bag that Kairi gave to her with a pair of pajamas that she lend to her when they were at her house.

She looked at Roxas who blushed and turned around. He turned redder as he heard her pulling up her white dress. Roxas gave a deep thought of frustration, 'Why are we acting like I never saw her in her undergarments. I mean not too long ago I saw her naked.' Namine whispered aloud, "Done." Roxas turned around to see Namine in a loose blue gown which oddly still gave out her slender form.

Roxas spoke, "Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" Namine shook her head, "No I want you near me. Sleep with me?" Roxas sat on the bed in silence before he answered swallowing the lump in his throat, "Okay." Roxas got up taking off his shoes and his shirt leaving him shirtless with only his pants on.

Namine slipped into the bed first, after that Roxas followed afterwards turning off the lamp they had on and leaving them in darkness the moonlight giving a dark blue shine in the room through the window. Roxas pulled the cover over them. He laid on his side towards Namine as she laid on hers looking up at him.

Roxas laced his hand with Namine's between them. Roxas smiled happily, "Your still here." Namine was a bit taken back, but replied, "I'm still here." Roxas unlaced their hands as he lay on his back putting his hands behind his head underneath the comfy plush pillow. Namine moved herself up a bit making the top half of her body lying across Roxas's chest.

Namine mouthing out words to a song, "In you and I there's a new land, Angels in flight, in sanctuary, my sanctuary yeah…" Roxas closed his eyes as he paid close attention to Namine's sweet singing voice from her song, "…where fears and lies melt away, music inside, what's left of me, what's left of me now." She stopped.

Roxas opened his eyes to feel wetness on his chest he realized Namine was crying. Roxas lifted her head with his hand on her chin. Namine's eyes were all filled with tears as it trickled down her face. Roxas wiped them away with his thumb.

Namine choked out a sob, "Roxas I don't want to leave…I don't want to disappear. I don't want to leave you!" Namine put her head down to his chest as tears came falling down more freely. Namine kept sobbing as Roxas held her tight his hand stroking her slim light blonde hair.

Roxas soothed her in a hush tone, "Shh…I won't let you disappear. Never will I let that happen. I will give my heart if I had one before I let that happen. Even if it means I have to join back with the Organization again." Roxas then heard soft breathing being taken from Namine to see that she was fast asleep tears still flowing down her puffy redden face. Roxas kissed the top of her head.

Roxas too was about to fall asleep, but awoke straight away as he heard the dark ominous voice again, "Meet me by the shore on the beach of the island Roxas…the times has come for you to tell me your decision." Roxas had sweat drip down his face slowly, fear over taking him from the sudden crush of silence from the evil tone.

Roxas looked out to the window behind him to see the moon at full bloom shining heavenly above. He then looked down at the one glowing from the moonlight's gaze next to him, sleeping soundly.

Roxas gave Namine a depressed look before slipping out of bed holding up her arms and gently putting them down on the bed so he wouldn't disturb her sleep. Succeeding in the process Roxas put on his cloths that were hanged over on a chair and slipped out the door quietly without being detected.

Roxas got out of the house into the silent night. The street held a glow of orange, gold color from the street lamps. He walked down the dirt path of the suburb village soon making it to the beach.

Roxas stared out closely of the deserted beach to spot a dark figure anywhere and soon he did. Roxas stepped over closer to the person who had his back turned.

The hooded Organization member then turned around still covering his face from the dark cloth leather jacket. He gave a satisfying tone, "You have arrived." Roxas gave a stern look, "Who are you?" The hooded person looked out to the black night ocean, "I'm what's left." Roxas sighed in annoyance, "Don't give me that crap!"

The abyss person snickered evilly, "Hehehe, I see you're not as naïve as you once were. So have you made your decision?" Roxas looked down to the floor abruptly before replying, "Are you sure with me helping the Organization Namine will be saved?"

The man stood silent. Roxas shouted enough that it could have woken up the entire town, "Answer me damn you! Will Namine be saved, or not?" The ominous man spoke in a hush sincere tone, "You have my word, like I said if you help me, I guaranty your pure, graceful Namine will be whole and saved."

Roxas whispered in a low tone of his answer with his head down, "I'll join…" The dark hooded man asked, "Sorry didn't quite hear that." Roxas lifted his head up with determination, and furious look, "I said I'll join the Organization once more for Namine, but…" Roxas took a breath before continuing, "Give me three days."

The dark figure tilted his head to the side repeating Roxas's last two words of his offer, "Three days." After a few second more the sinister man nodded and vanished in the dark clouded abyss that he summoned.

Roxas stood there in the chill wind, his blonde swirled spikes covering his face from the tears he was holding back as his shoulders shook violently. He was once more a member of the Organization. Number 13…Roxas.

Kiome-Yasha: "Yay it's finished! And I just have to say I didn't expect this many reviews! I'm crying with joy so much! The guys who reviewed I love you all so much. You made me the happiest sixteen year old girl in the world! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! You all made me so happy that I'm jumping right now with joy. Considering my computer caught a virus I was really down. Plus it might take me time to update the next chapter considering I have to take time to update my other story that I'm writing of Cloud and Tifa. It's been awhile since I did and with the virus and all. But I swear I'm trying to do the best I can on updating. I hope you all understand. Byz!


	4. A new day with new friends

Kiome-Yasha: "Hey Kiome here to give you another update on 'Nobodies could feel Passion too' I hope this isn't considered to be late, at least I hope not. By the way thanx to all my reviewers who reviewed before from the beginning, plus to the newly ones who reviewed. Well here goes chapter 4! Enjoy!"

Chapter 4 A new day with new friends

Roxas got back to the house at the dead of night. He slipped back into the covers with Namine still fast asleep. Roxas brushed her light blonde locks behind her ear before putting his arm around her slender waist, his hand grabbing on the light silk fabric of her garment, taking in Namine's sweet scent.

Roxas mumbled before he fell asleep in deep slumber, "Namine forgive me." After that he was consumed by the darkness of sleep.

Morning came quickly. Sora groaned as the light from the sun's rays hit his face. Sora slipped out of bed making sure not to wake Kairi up. He turned to face her to see her fast asleep her chest rising up and down as she took steady breaths. Sora smiled and kissed her forehead lightly.

Sora took the time to head for the bathroom in the hallway. Sora opened the door to his room and made his way through the hall, but before Sora could open the door to the bathroom his mother stepped out with a light blue robe on.

Rinoa rubbed her eyes to get a better look of her fifteen year old son, small drips of water on her face from the sink. Sora gave Rinoa a small 'hi' by just lifting up his left hand. He was still drowsy from waking up so early.

Rinoa smiled warmly, "Good morning Sora." Sora said with a yawn escaping his lips, "Hey mom." Rinoa stepped out into the hall, "I'll be making breakfast soon okay." Sora nodded as he entered the blue marbled bathroom.

Rinoa stood a little longer before sighing, "Squall…if only you knew how much Sora grew." Rinoa then made her way down the stairs her slippers patting softly on the rugged floor.

Sora did his daily routine in the bathroom, taking a piss, brushed his already shiny white pearl teeth, and dropped down naked to take a warm morning shower.

Sora began washing his dark chocolate spiky hair, the bubbles smoothing its way down his small, yet solid peaks. Sora rinsed out his hair with the pouring water. He then used the soap to wash his restless body. After everything was cleaned he turned off the valve of the water and stepped out to be welcomed by Kairi who just so happen opened the bathroom door.

Sora stood dumbfounded as he stood naked in front of Kairi, who had a face that looked like a tomato.

Sora grabbed the nearest towel yelling in embarrassment, "Oh my God GET OUT! GET OUT!" Kairi was still stunned. She closed the door by mistake, locking it. Sora closed the glass, marbled screen of the bathroom, making his body abstract a bit on the other side.

Sora still kept yelling in exasperation, "GET OUT! GET OUT!"

'What the hell? What the hell? WHAT THE HELL?' screamed an angry Roxas inside his head. Roxas shot up from his position holding onto Namine who was still asleep.

Roxas stared down at Namine with disbelief. He whispered astonished, "How can she sleep with this entire ruckus?" Roxas placed Namine down softly as he took off out of the room stomping to the source of the commotion.

As for Kairi and Sora; Kairi was trying to open the door, Sora shouting behind her, "Kairi! The door is locked!" Kairi blushed more of her stupidity. As soon she unlocked it and hurried out she bumped into a fuming Roxas.

Roxas half shouted still feeling tired, "What the hell is going on?" But Roxas didn't need an answer when he saw the red glow Kairi was resonating from her face after walking out of the bathroom.

Roxas smirked, "I see getting a peek aren't we? Wow seeing Sora naked must have terrified you Kairi." Roxas said laughing.

Kairi only blushed more as her response. She started heading back to the room feeling ashamed and screaming, "Oh my virgin eyes!"

As soon as Kairi entered back inside the room Namine took the time to wake up from her deep slumber, her head peeking out from the room her and Roxas shared.

Namine walked up to Roxas having a tiresome look, "What was that all about?" Roxas kissed Namine on the lips softly almost tickling her, "I'll tell you later."

Sora finally had the urge to step out of the bathroom. He looked at Namine and Roxas. He only sighed as he made his way towards his room. Roxas only sniggered still leaving Namine out of the loop.

Roxas went inside the bathroom along with Namine behind him. Roxas closed the door. Roxas started to brush his strong wax teeth seeing no need to use the bathroom, Namine taking off her pajamas to take a shower. Somehow this felt natural to them.

Roxas took a quick glance at Namine's smooth back ending to her curled bottom. He turned back around to the mirror when Namine took notice of his stare. Shrugging Namine went inside the shower taking advantage of the remaining heat Sora left.

Namine started humming. Roxas smiled as he splashed clean water on his face clearing out the gook in his eyes.

Roxas smile then flipped down to a frown, "Three days of happiness and peace and then I would have to sink back into despair of darkness." "What was that Roxas?" Namine asked behind the closed shed that was fogged up from the heat of the water.

Roxas opened the door replying sadly, "Nothing." After that he closed it.

After twenty-five minutes on getting ready for today's event. All four teenagers went down stairs smelling the sweet aroma of maple syrup and baked pancakes… along with sausages, toasted bread with jam or butter, bacon, and scrambled eggs.

All of them were astound of the morning feast, especially Sora who had drool escaping the side of his lips.

Rinoa put down a box of orange juice greeting with a big smile, "Well dig up kids."

The four of them sat down. Kairi sitting next to Sora despise their accident this morning and Namine next to her beloved Roxas.

Sora hounded down on the food leaving no crumbs. Namine ate slowly seeing no need to haste, but no reason to waste either. Kairi ate respectfully taking her time and decided that she wasn't that hungry. Roxas didn't eat yet at all though.

Namine felt worried and concern, "Roxas are you alright? You haven't eaten yet." Roxas shook out of his daze and stared back at Namine with a bewilder face.

Roxas only gave a ghostly smile, "I'm fine. I just guess I'm not that hungry." Sora took out his arm talking with his mouth full, "Pass it here then, if you're not going to eat it." Rinoa scolded Sora smacking him lightly on the back of his head, "Sora how many times have I told you not to talk with your mouth full?"

Sora swallowed the chunk in his mouth and answered, "Fifty-eight times including fifty-nine now." Rinoa crossed her arms before turning to the dishes.

Sora turned back to Roxas, "So are you going to eat, or not?" Roxas only shook his head. Sora took the signal as he grabbed Roxas's plate and started dogging down on it. His stomach didn't even blow up.

Roxas stood disgusted at Sora's eating behavior, but only sighed.

After eating breakfast, Roxas and the gang left the house saying good-bye to Rinoa until seeing her later.

Sora put his hands behind his head, "So what are we going to do? I mean we can't really make a move on things until, Riku gets back with news from the King."

Kairi put her arms behind her back, "Let's see Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus. We need to introduce them to Roxas and Namine remember?" Sora nodded remembering with a spark of mischief in his eyes, "Oh yeah!"

Namine smiled agreeing with the idea, "Okay that sounds great. Where would they be now?" Sora gave a deep thought before answering, "Let's see its Saturday I believe. They're probably at the blitz ball field at the school yard practicing."

They all then made their way to the school grounds sneaking to the back of the huge coliseum that was held in the back. Roxas and Namine gawked at the size of the sphere pool that stood in midair. It was magical and enchanting.

To their left they saw a girl with light, short brown hair that was curled up to the side of her rounded face with a small swirl on the back of her skinny neck. She had a yellow tank top on with a jean skirt.

Kairi greeted the girl by her name, "Selphie hi!" Selphie turned to the sound of Kairi's voice and jumped up with glee.

Selphie ran towards them embracing Kairi with a friendly hug, "Hey Kairi, hey Sora. How've you been? Feels like forever since I saw you." Sora gave Selphie a questioning look, "What are you talking about? You saw us two days ago." Selphie took out her tongue while giving herself a small bonk on the head, "Oh that's right."

Roxas only stared at the girl and only thought of one thing, 'Oh yeah she's air-headed.' Namine giggled though with amusement.

Selphie took notice of Roxas and Namine, "Hey who are your friends?" Selphie eyed Roxas up and down liking what she saw. Roxas instantly took hold of Namine's hand. Selphie gave an annoyed look.

Sora introduced Namine and Roxas, "Oh this is Roxas and Namine. There are new friends that we met during our travels when we left home." Namine took out her hand, "Nice to meet you." Selphie took Namine's hand with a smile, her jealousy leaving her, "Hi I'm Selphie, nice to meet you too Namine."

Roxas still held on tight to Namine's left hand, still a little afraid of Selphie's seductive stare. Selphie then took her hand out to shake Roxas's hand. Roxas not wanting to be rude accepted it.

Selphie smiled and asked curiously, "Please to meet you Roxas. Are you and Namine going out by any chance?" Both Roxas and Namine blushed from her question, which gave her an answer.

Selphie smirked, "I could see that you two are an item. Sorry I was eyeing you earlier Roxas." Roxas gulped as he nodded with a blush. Namine though was a bit annoyed.

Sora changed the subject, "So where's Tidus and Wakka?" Selphie looked back at Sora and pointed to the blitzball court of the large rounded sphere pool.

Roxas looked closely his eyes squinting to spot two actual figures swimming and chasing a ball inside the huge water ball. One seemed to have red hair that stood all the way up causing a small swirl on the tip, wearing on what it seemed to be clothing from a yellow colored outfit for a team. The other had the same design of clothing, but a bit different having blonde hair that swept to the sides of his face.

Selphie yelled out to them with a megaphone that she so happen to have lying on the bench, "WAKKA, TIDUS! HEY YOU GUYS GET OUT OF THERE AND SAY HELLO TO OUR NEW FRIENDS!"

Everyone closed their ears from the volume of Selphie's squeaky voice through the megaphone. Roxas said sarcastically, "Hey Selphie I don't think they heard you." Namine glared at Roxas for his sarcastic comment, but soon Wakka and Tidus jumped out of the water sphere pool landing on the nearest edge of land.

Wakka and Tidus ran towards Selphie and the others dripping wet. Wakka greeted with his Hawaiian accent, "Hey wat's happening brudda?" Selphie placed her hands on her hips with a stern look, "Honestly you think you guys could dry yourself up first." Wakka and Tidus gave a big goofy grin.

Tidus said hello to Sora and Kairi, "Hey you guys!" Sora and Kairi said hello back. Wakka then spotted Namine and Roxas, "Wat's up brudda and dudeit?" Kairi introduced Namine and Roxas to Wakka and Tidus, "This is Namine and this is Roxas." Tidus shook both Namine and Roxas hands, "Cool! Nice to meet you guys!" Roxas and Namine smiled, "Same here."

Wakka then shook Namine and Roxas hand, "Ya liking your stay on the island?" Namine nodded, "Yes very much." Wakka grinned twirling the blitzball that had several bumps on it on his index finger.

Tidus took the ball suggesting, "Hey Roxas, Sora wanna play blitzball with us?" Sora nodded while Roxas was confused. Sora sighed explaining the game to Roxas.

After awhile Roxas got the idea on how to play. He nodded understanding, "Okay let's blitz then!" Tidus responded in excitement, "Alright!" All four boys made their way to the sphere, Namine cheering Roxas, "Do your best Roxas! Even if you lose, you'll look sexy either way!" Roxas blushed while the other boys chuckled.

Roxas and Sora made one team while Wakka and Tidus made the other. Wakka yelled out, "Ya ready bruddas?" They nodded as the serve was made of the blitzball.

Wakka and Roxas were neck to neck chasing after the ball. Wakka said with amazement, "I'm surprise ya can hold you're breath this long brudda." Roxas gave a determine look as he gave Wakka a light tackle to the side, to be sure not to hurt him. Making Wakka lose his balance Roxas grabbed the ball, swimming towards the goal where Tidus was ready to defend and Sora ready for about anything.

Namine and the other girls watched the boys with excitement. Selphie squealed, "Wow! Roxas sure is a fast learner! He's so hot!" Namine restrain herself to not burst out in anger at Selphie. Kairi saw Namine's controlled frustrated face and gave a wry laugh.

The girls turned their intention back to the game seeing Roxas just making a score; after awhile the game resumed on, Roxas and Sora claiming victories.

The four exhausted boys stepped out of the sphere pool soak and wet, but dried themselves off quickly. After Roxas dried up his hair Namine ran to his arms congratulating him, "Roxas you were great!" Roxas took hold of Namine by her waist holding her tightly.

Wakka smiled at the couple, "Ya you had some cool moves out there man." Tidus came in babbling in excitement, "You kidding me, you dominated the blitz field. You didn't even need Sora!" Sora glared at Tidus knowing it was true.

Kairi patted Sora to enlighten him, "Don't worry Sora. You still did well." Sora slumped feeling pathetic.

Roxas and Namine laughed. Roxas then looked at his new friends and felt relieved, but something bothered him. He looked down at Namine asking, "Namine are you alright? You sure you can hold out longer?" Namine was taken back from the sudden question about her situation.

Namine answered honestly, "No I'm fine so far." Roxas smiled and kissed her gently on the lips, giving it a small lick to tease her, "Good, because I was wondering if you and I can have some time together later." Namine put her hands on his chest happily, "Really!" Roxas nodded.

Sora turned to Namine and Roxas asking, "Hey do you guys want to hang out somewhere, or something?" Namine looked at Roxas with pleading eyes, "Roxas you wouldn't mind if we hang out with Wakka and the others do you for today?" Roxas sighed in disappointment wanting to really be alone with Namine, but gave in when he saw Namine's puppy dog eyes.

Roxas embraced Namine. "Okay." Namine embraced Roxas back as they all started heading out of the school's backyard blitz field. When they came around to the front Selphie suggested, "How about we go shopping?" Tidus sucked his teeth, "No! Let's go to the arcade!" Selphie and Tidus argued back and forth.

Wakka split them up, "How about this we bruddas go to the arcade and the sistas go to the mall." Namine didn't like the idea of being separated from Roxas and before she could protest Roxas spoke, "That sounds like a good idea. Ne Namine what do you think?" Namine looked down in depression before giving a fake smile and nodded.

Not to long the boys went their separate ways as did the girls. Somehow though Namine felt cold and was fading each minute.

The boys walked up to the arcade feeling pumped up and ready to trash these games. Tidus ran to a Tekken stand game motioning Roxas to join. Roxas walked up to him. Tidus put in munny for him and Roxas to play. Tidus pointed to the empty side game stick, "Play that one." Roxas reacting quickly placed his hands firmly on the stick and chose his character. Tidus picked Bryan, while Roxas picked Jin.

The two boys fought each other digitally. Wakka and Sora decided to play a racing game meanwhile waiting for their turn claiming losers place on whoever wins. About two minutes in the game and two rounds Roxas won. Tidus jaw dropped, "I can't believe you beat me! I never lose in this game!" Roxas only scratched the back of his head embarrassed, "Sorry this game isn't that challenging to me."

Tidus praised Roxas, "Man your good!" Roxas blushed from the compliment. Wakka and Sora then strolled over. Sora asked placing his hands on the back of his head, "Who won?" Tidus answered a little upset, "Roxas." Wakka was shocked, "Woah! You beat Tidus! Tidus never lose in this game." Roxas smiled feeling confident, "Yeah he was just telling me that."

Sora lifted his hand up, "Me next!" Wakka placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, "Forget it brudda. If Tidus lost you have no chance." Sora shifted from Wakka's hold, "Hey you don't know maybe Roxas was lucky!" Sora took munny out of his picket inserting them in the machine, "Play me!" he demanded. Roxas shrugged as he entered the game as well.

While fighting each other Tidus yelled, "Sora you suck! You keep using the same moves!" Wakka jumped in, "Yeah brudda! Stop defending already! We know ya going to lose!" Sora was holding a few life points left. They where in the last round which so happen to be a tie breaker. Sora took the chance and made his move with his character Eddy, but Roxas was quicker and calmer with his movements with Lee. One kick and Eddy was K.Oed.

Sora crashed down to the floor when the machine said, "You lose!" Roxas bend down a bit to help Sora up, "Hey at least you did better than Tidus." Sora accepted the offer and took Roxas hand heaving him up. Wakka asked, "Man do you ever lose to anyone brudda?" Roxas answered sincerely, "Yeah once by Riku."

That's when it hit Tidus, "Riku that's who we're missing!" Wakka turned to Sora asking, "Where's Riku brudda? He's not with ya?" Sora didn't know how to explain where Riku was. Roxas though told them the truth.

Namine left Kairi and Selphie at a clothing store called Dots, she decided to go to her own store. She found one that caught her interests. The labels were in a red abstract design.

Namine reads the words aloud, "Hot Topic." Namine entered the store adoring the merchandises. She picked out a few new cloths for her and for Roxas as a gift. Namine then spotted a dress she liked, but before she could grasp on the garment her hands slipped right through as if she was a ghost.

Roxas finished the story leaving a stumbling Sora and two jaw dropped boys. Tidus managed to speak out, "Holy shit!" Wakka stammered, "Really Brudda? Damn." Roxas looked at Sora who was shock that he just told Wakka and Tidus the story. And he told them EVERYTHING, starting from day one, well besides the ones about him and Namine.

Roxas shrugged, "What? I wasn't going to lie." Sora shook his head pitifully to Roxas. Roxas then felt a sudden pain shoot through him. It didn't pain him physically, but rather mentally. Sora, Wakka, and Tidus though didn't notice it. Roxas froze when he heard a voice inside his head belonging to the same ominous man, 'Roxas let your heart return to the darkness, and forget about Namine.'

Roxas only had one thought in his mind, Namine when the voice mentioned her.

Before the boys knew it Roxas dashed out of the arcade looking for the girls.

Namine froze in shock. A voice ringing in her head, 'His heart consumes with such rage, lust, and cruelty. Whatever made you think a little witch like you can save him from the darkness and join him into the light? He's forgetting about you my dear Namine.' Frightened Namine started to panic.

She dropped the cloths she had in her arms to the floor. She embraced herself trying to keep herself solid and not disappear. Namine had tears coming out of her eyes. She ran out leaving a group of dumbfounded people who were lost and confused.

Namine tried to find Kairi seeing that was her only way to keep herself existing. Namine felt her arms clearing away now.

She stopped looking down to her legs that began to disperse into a clear color.

Kairi spotted Namine in a panic. She dropped the bags of cloths she had in her hand running to her side, Selphie following the same action.

Selphie stood over the two look a like girls, fear resonating in her eyes as she glanced at Namine, half of her body gone.

Roxas made it to see Kairi with Namine. As he feared Namine was vanishing again, but why all of a sudden? She was doing find before. Soon the boys caught up to Roxas, shocked to see Namine almost gone; without hesitating Roxas screamed out, "Namine!" The boys ran to the girls.

Roxas looked at Kairi and demanded, "Kairi let Namine back inside your body! Now!" Kairi looked unsure, "I don't know Roxas. With all these witnesses here…" Roxas scolded her with a glare, "I don't care God damn it! I can't afford to lose her now!" Kairi shivered from the venom in Roxas voice, but complied with his wishes.

Namine moved towards Kairi, Selphie having no idea on what's going on giving her support by her shoulders. Soon Namine totally vanished within Kairi. Kairi and the others looked at Roxas who had a frightened, yet angered face.

Roxas lowered his head in shame, whispering to himself, "I'm sorry for yelling everyone. I'm not myself lately. I just don't want her to go. I don't want to lose my Namine."

And soon they walked out of the grand market mall heading towards their homes, Roxas not speaking to anyone, but the darkness in his heart beckoning in full volume.

Kiome-Yasha: "I am so sorry for the late updating, but skool has been a royal pain in the ass. My Art class which is my major wants me and the rest of the class to finish this mural up for the skool. Plus the fact that I'm falling behind in my classes because of it isn't good considering my GPA is a 3.5. And I can't afford to fail so they have me booked, but I tried to make my dues and update the next chapter since you guys had been begging for an update. So here you are and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon."


	5. The talk with the King

Kiome-Yasha: "I feel so evil right now. Well I'm going to update the 5th chapter to 'Nobodies could feel passion too.' To clear up last chapter I just wanted Roxas and Namine to take a break from the plot and make friends, but being so evil that I am I made them suffer by the end of the chapter. By the way the rest of the FF crew will come in later chapters. Plus the plot is coming more underway; and a word of caution to those reviewers who are perhaps Cloeris fans. This story contains no Cloeris! I repeat NO Cloeris, only Cloti. For those who are Cloti fans there is definitely going to be an intense lemon dealing with the couple in the story. When that time comes Cloeris be warned, but still I hope that doesn't stop you on reading my story."

Chapter 5 The talk with the King

Riku traveled through the cosmos of the universe. He still continued his search for The Magical Kingdom that was ruled under King Mickey.

Riku sighed almost giving up as he passed through meteorites that slowly drifted passed him.

Riku pushed the throttle of the Gummi ship forward to quicken his search. In mere minutes a white and blue, marvelous castle hanged overview. Riku smiled with victory.

Riku closed in on the largely shaped castle world, preparing to land. He picked up the speaker of the Gummi ship trying to make contact so he can land, "Hello this Riku, I repeat this is Riku speaking, requesting to land, over."

Riku waited for a moment before a squeaky voice could be heard and a slow lazy one, "This is Chip and Dale allowing you to land. It's good to hear from you Riku!" Riku put the speaker back towards his mouth, "The feelings mutual."

Riku hanged up the speaker, edging down towards the Gummi base landing. Riku jumped out of the ship smoothly, and causally. He winked a Hi to Chip and Dale who scurried towards him.

Riku bend down to Chip's and Dale's eye level. Riku greeted them, "Hey guys." Chip said in his chipmunk voice, "Hey Riku! What brings you to the castle?" Riku put his arms on his knees, "I need an urgent talk with your King." Dale talked in his low chipmunk voice, "The King? I think he's at the throne room."

Riku got up nodding, "Thanks I'll go see him." Riku took his leave out of the Gummi engine room heading towards the Grand hall. Riku passed the short steep steps before walking through the long red rug and open balcony windows that brilliantly brought out the sun's sunlight.

Riku spotted Donald and Goofy by the huge light purple door guarding it. Riku yelled out a hello, "Hey Donald, Goofy!" Donald and Goofy turned to the source of the voice that called out to them. They jumped up with glee seeing that it was Riku who came to visit.

Donald tackled Riku into a hug, as well as Goofy. Riku using the strength that he had balanced the three of them so they wouldn't tip over.

Donald flapped down on the floor asking, "Riku what are you doing here?" Riku answered after letting go from the tackled hug, "I need to talk to the King. It's very important that I speak to him right away." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

Donald and Goofy started leading the way to the Grand central door in the hall. Donald asked in his scratchy, quaky voice, "So how is Sora and Kairi doing?" Riku smiled, "He's doing quiet well, as well as Kairi." Goofy looked back at Riku, "So why the sudden visit Riku?" Riku took his hands and placed them inside his baggy jeans oversize pockets, "I came to ask the King questions about the Nobodies."

Donald then looked back rather puzzled, "Why? We destroyed the Organization, not to mention all the Nobodies who were apart of it." Riku gave a stern look, "It's about Namine and Roxas." Donald and Goofy looked troubled from the topic.

They stopped walking as soon as they made it to the gigantic door. Donald knocked in a friendly rhythm against the door to reveal a small door crack open. Riku was taken back, but followed Goofy and Donald inside.

Riku then saw King Mickey who was walking up the stairs that lead to the source of light of the Kingdom the Cornerstone. Pluto was by his side as the loyal pet that he was. Pluto barked when he saw Donald, Goofy, and Riku heading towards them.

Mickey stared ahead from Pluto's bark. Mickey smiled when he saw Riku. Mickey started walking up to them slowly to meet half way in the throne room.

Mickey put his hand out as Riku shook it in a friendly matter giving Mickey a bow. Mickey spoke with enthusiasm, "Riku I'm sure glad to see you! What brings you here from across the galaxy my friend?" Riku let go of Mickey's hand standing up, "I need to talk to you about Ansem's research and the Nobodies." Mickey looked troubled from Riku's reason of his visit.

Mickey nodded, "I see. Let's talk inside the library." Mickey took a step to the side heading towards the library, with everyone else close behind.

They entered the room closing the door behind them. Mickey turned around as he gave himself a seat. Before they could talk about the issue Riku heard a voice that greeted him, "Riku it's been awhile. How've you been?' Riku looked down to see Jiminy the cricket between his feet.

Riku put his right hand down to let Jiminy hop on it, using his cricket ability to jump. Riku smiled, "Hey Jiminy, haven't seen you in awhile either." Jiminy then jumped to Riku's shoulder to rest his hand.

Donald and Goofy stood next to Riku, while Pluto decided to take a nap in his little doggy nest cushion. Mickey tied his hand together on the small table that was provided in the library, "Jiminy, Riku came to ask about something serious." Jiminy stood silent listening in on the trouble.

Riku began to explain, "You see Roxas and Namine have been reunited within Sora and Kairi as we all know, but something's been happening." Jiminy spoke in horror, "Golly, what could ever be the problem?"

Riku took a small breath before continuing, "Well you see Roxas and Namine have been able to move around freely on their own for some odd reason which is all fine and all and we're happy for them , but for some odd reason Namine had been fading away little by little." King Mickey was listening intensely. He asked motioning one of his hands to make a point, "And this isn't affecting Roxas the same way?"

Riku shook his head, "No your majesty. Roxas is quiet fine." Mickey jumped off the seat walking slowly back and forth starting to ponder. Riku asked with a bit of hope, "Do you have any ideas on what to do your majesty?" Mickey placed his largely white gloved hand on his rounded chin in deep thought.

Goofy spoke up in concern, "Your majesty?" Donald did the same thing, "Sire?" Mickey turned his back to them putting his hand down asking, "And what makes you think Riku I could be in any help in the matter?" Riku stepped forward in expiration, "Surely you know something. I mean you knew Ansem really well the he was considered to be a close friend. You must know something about his research on the Nobodies and why this is happening? You must help!" Riku was breathing heavily, hoping on some kind of response from the small mouse with large ears.

King Mickey turned around with a huge smile, "Gosh of course I'll help in anyway I can Riku!" Riku sidled himself down with relief. Donald asked. "But what alternative do we take you majesty?" Mickey answered happily, "Why we should check Ansem's lab at Radiant Garden first thing, to see if there's anything there we can find that may hold the answers we're looking for." Everyone nodded in unison. They agreed with the plan and decided to head out as soon as possible.

They headed back inside the Gummi engine room. Mickey suggested they take his Gummi ship considering it was much larger than the one Riku was sporting in and much suitable for combat as well just in case. Not too long they took off out into the outer galaxy once more to Radiant Garden.

Meanwhile back at Destiny Island.

Everyone decided to go home for the day. Roxas, Sora, and Kairi making their way back to Sora's house.

Kairi spoke to cut the uncomfortable silence in the air, "Well I heard from Selphie that when we go back to school that there's going to be a Kimono festival on our return for our welcoming Prep Rally to school."

Roxas stood silent as Kairi continued with an encouraging smile, "I was wondering if Namine feels better within the two days we have left before that day; you and Namine could spend some time together and dress up on that day Roxas." Roxas looked up at Kairi with an expressionless look knowing the whole time she was directing the conversation to him.

Sora put his hands behind his head as usual when he was bored, or was plain annoyed, "Oh stop brooding over it Roxas! It was a common mistake when you snap like that. We all know how worried you are for Namine and how much you care for her. So don't be down in the dumps man. A lot happens when you're in Love."

Roxas cheeks appeared with a tainted pink color. Kairi nodded agreeing with Sora. Roxas chirped up thanks to Sora's and Kairi's confident reassurance.

They made it to Sora's house. Sora opened the door with his keys. Sora called out inside the house, "Yo mom we're home!" No one answered though. Sora searched inside the kitchen to see a note on the fridge. Sora snatched it off ad he began to read it.

"Sora had gone off to go grocery shopping. You and your friends could order pizza in the mean time if you're all hungry. I left money on the table."

Love, Mom Kiss, Kiss

Sora stared down at the paper throwing it to the side as it floated down to the floor. Sora screamed in the top of his lungs as it echoed throughout the house and practically the whole neighborhood, "PIZZA FOR DINNER! LET'S ORDER!"

Roxas sighed along with Kairi in the hall as they were heading towards their rooms. Sora could be heard ordering the food on the phone, "Yeah I would like to order three large pizza pies, extra cheese please. Oh and five large coke bottles. What? What flavor? I'll have two orange sodas, one root beer, one grape soda, and regular coke. Nope that's it. And come quickly, or I decide not to pay!"

Sora hanged up the phone on the receiver that was attached to the kitchen wall. Sora called out to Roxas, "Hey Roxas when your done on whatever your doing up there come down so we can watch some anime!"

Roxas was about to go down seeing no need to do anything upstairs. Not with Namine around so he can cuddle with, if you know what I mean.

As Roxas was mid way across the stairs Kairi spoke out timidly, "Roxas?" Roxas turned his head. Kairi said nervously, "Namine has a message for you." Roxas turned around fully giving her his full intention. Kairi quoted out Namine's words, "Quote 'Roxas I'm sorry I can stay with you tonight, but I'm too weak to step out for the rest of the day. I love you and I'll have enough energy to be with you tomorrow. That's if the Gods' will allow it' unquote." Roxas stood there trying to grasp onto the message.

Roxas smiled, "Thanks for the message Kairi. Tell her I'll see her tomorrow then. And I'm sorry again on what happen earlier today. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Kairi shook her head, "Don't blame yourself Roxas. I understand. And I'll make sure to give Namine the message."

Roxas nodded as he turned his intentions back to the stairs. Kairi left to Sora's room to change into her pajamas and meet up with Sora, and Roxas soon.

As soon as Roxas made it down to the stairs, the door bell rang in a homey tune. Sora dashes pass Roxas causing a drift of wind. Sora held a good amount of fifty dollars in his hand. Sora called out to Roxas, "Hey Roxas give a hand will ya!"

Roxas snapped out of his senses and helped Sora with the food and drinks. Sora replied to the pizza guy, "You can keep the change." The pizza guy smiled with a nod, "Thank you."

Sora closed the door taking the food to the living room and placing it on the see through glass table. Roxas followed suit with the five sodas in hand, which were in bags.

Sora placed his hand together rushing them back and forth with his tongue sticking out on the side, "Let's dig in." Roxas put the bags on the floor near the table, "Wait we can't eat without Kairi." Sora took off to get the plates and cups saying, "God you're too gullible."

Sora came back with the plates and cups placing them in order on the table and took the remote to the TV and DVD. Kairi then took the time to come down with a pink tank top and long cotton pink pants. Kairi sat next to Sora on the couch while Roxas sat on the floor.

Sora switched the DVD on and the anime show Inuyasha turned on. It seemed to be a movie from the series.

Roxas poured drinks and pulled out slices of pizza from the box onto the plates to give to Sora and Kairi. Sora and Kairi accepted the offer with gratitude.

Roxas focused back onto the screen while serving himself. They all watched the movie, half-way though Kairi fell asleep, resting her head on Sora's shoulder.

Roxas smiled at them. Sora noticed, "I'm really sorry man." Roxas was stunned for a moment before asking, "For what?" Sora shrugged not really knowing himself on how to put it in words, "For you and Namine. I mean I bet the two of you really want to live your own world together. Say maybe perhaps Twilight Town. I mean it was kind of your original home." Roxas sighed and shook his head, "That really isn't my place, it never was. I'm a Nobody Sora. I'm not supposed to exist in any world."

Sora had a glum expression, "Hey you're here now aren't you? That to me shows me that you really were meant to exist, in your own life." Roxas bowed his head and asked in a monotone voice, "So are you saying Namine wasn't suppose to exist?"

Sora stood quiet. Sora turned his head to the movie seeing that it was finishing up. Sora stood quiet a little longer before saying, "I don't know Roxas. But it's like you said before at the Nobodies castle spectrum. You see yourself the way Namine remembers you, and she sees herself you remember her. Don't ever forget that Roxas."

After a few minutes more the movie had finished. Roxas was still quiet. Sora softly took Kairi's head off his shoulder to make sure not to wake her. Kairi's eyes opened slightly, yawning quietly in the process. Sora stood frozen for a moment before placing one arm under her legs and the other behind her head lifting her off the couch. Kairi smiled as she closed her eyes, falling back to sleep.

Sora headed towards the stairs. Sora turned his head around seeing Roxas looking at the movie's credits. Sora shook his head. He then began making his way up the steps to his room to sidle Kairi into bed.

Roxas sighed as he looked up at the clock that hung over the TV. It was nine a clock at night. Roxas dropped his head back on the couch. He merely jumped out in pure fright as he saw the hooded man hang over him from the ceiling.

The hooded man sniggered, "Glad to see you can express emotions Roxas, though being the fact that you're a Nobody it really is strange that you can." Roxas stood up in full awareness of the man's presence.

The dark cloth man glided down silently, sitting on the couch causally as if he wasn't intruding. Roxas asked with gritted teeth, "What the hell are you doing here?" The man poured himself a drink, taking a sip, "Why to only see how you were doing? I mean after such a display of anger today, I was amused." Roxas stood silent playing back the incident today.

The mask man laughed lightly, but evilly, "So you decided to show your true colors. You know that's the real you. If I do remember the stories about you being in the Organization, well at least that I remember, you were quiet the vicious brute who showed no mercy, or concern for others. Roxas what happen that made you into a total pussy."

Roxas snarled at the ominous man, "Shut up! That's not me anymore! I know my place, and that's to be in a world with Namine as actual Somebody's." The man laughed out loud in pure amusement.

Roxas was confused on how Sora didn't hear him shouting, along with the man's high laughter. Roxas figured the abyss man put some kind of sound field around them.

Soon the hooded man's laugh subsided, "Are you telling me you still believe in that bullshit? What, you think the two of you can runaway to Twilight Town, or something and live with your old friends who were nothing more than data to actually make you believe you had a LIFE!" The Organization member chuckled, "This truly is amusing. To think you had such a naïve mind Roxas. I believe that is Namine's doing."

Roxas tried to calm his anger, so he wouldn't spill blood all over the carpet floor that would belong to the man that stood before him. The man read his mind, "Go on Roxas. Kill me. Splatter blood and taint the darkness with your heart even more. You know that's what you truly desire." Roxas flipped open his two keyblades in his hands.

Roxas tried to fight the darkness, "No! That's not who I am." The man stood up over Roxas, "That's what you want to believe, but your heart knows you better than you think Roxas. It knows the true being of who you are. Don't you hear it Roxas; your heart thriving with such madness." Roxas yelled out, not wanting the man's words to be true, "Nnnooooooooooo!"

All of a sudden everything seemed back to normal. Roxas chest was heaving for air. He shuddered when he heard footsteps behind him. He put his keyblades away. It was Rinoa who came back from shopping.

Rinoa asked Roxas quizzically with concern hinting in her voice, "Roxas are you alright there honey?" Roxas gulped as a sweat drop fell down to the side of his face, "Yeah I'm fine. Just tired I guess." Rinoa smiled slightly, "Well you should go to bed then. I'll clean up here." Roxas turned around his face flush with the lack of air in his lungs, "Yes thank you. I'm sorry about the mess."

Rinoa waved her hand in a gesture, "Oh don't worry about it dear. It's no trouble at all." Roxas gave a remorse expression. He then nodded and headed towards the stairs still needing air from the suffocation. He froze in fright as he heard the dark mysterious voice taunting words, "Two days left."

Roxas clutched his hand to his chest were his heart was. It was throbbing and beating in an abnormal matter. The only thing he could think of was pain, and sorrow.

Mickey flew the Gummi ship across the galaxy, looking for Radiant Garden. He turned around to see Riku, Donald, and Goofy fast asleep. It had gotten late though he couldn't tell considering the total color of blankness and the light luminaries that were the stars.

Mickey then saw Radiant Garden appears over head from the signal he got from the Gummi's scouting map. It blinked vigorously Mickey then thought aloud praying, "I hope we find some answers, if not then I don't know what to do." Mickey came closer to the signal that was radiating from the map.

Even King Mickey was losing hope. Light was fading fast indeed and he could sense it from the darkness that was surrounding them.

Kiome-Yasha: "I wonder if you guys think this chapter was a bit short. Plus I like to say I don't own Inuyasha since I forgot to mention that before, since I had it for a brief moment in the story. Plus I would like it if you guys review thinking if the plot is coming in too slow, or too fast. Well that's about all I have to say. Plz review!"


	6. Trip to Radiant Garden

Declaimer: "Kiome-Yasha doesn't owe anything that is pure and good about Kingdom Hearts, or Namine and Roxas. I'm just using it for me pure pleasure of making them do my biddings."

Kiome-Yasha: "Yeah I'm a bit late on updating, but a lot has happen since I last updated. With final exams holding me back this week, and updating my Cloti story I've been pretty busy. So here is the next chapter on Nobodies could feel Passion too. Hope you like it and I expect mucho reviews!"

Chapter 6 Visit to Radiant Garden 

King Mickey started closing in on Radiant Garden preparing to land. Pluto barked of their arrival and gave Mickey a sloppy lick on his rounded cheeks.

Mickey turned around to Donald, Goofy, and Riku with a smile, "Wake up fellas! We're here." Donald, Goofy, and Riku got up lazily and spotted Radiant Garden that floated down below.

Riku grabbed hold of the seat beside Mickey, "I hope we can find some answers." Mickey nodded, "Me too Riku, me too." King Mickey descended down at the landing base.

Mickey turned to Riku, "Leon knew we were coming. I send Leon a notice stating that we were coming to explore Ansem's reports in his abandon lab." Riku nodded.

They started landing at the base of Radiant Garden behind Merlin's house. They all jumped off the Gummi ship to be greeted by familiar faces.

Pluto jumped on Yuffie as he started licking her face. Yuffie tried to push Pluto off, "Okay boy! I missed you too!" Mickey laughed as he walked up to Merlin and Leon.

Mickey took out his hand as Leon took it, "It's good to see you your majesty. I got your message. So we can explore Ansem's reports anytime." Mickey nodded as he pulled his hand back.

Aeris decided to come out of the house to greet them, "Donald, Goofy, you majesty it's good to see!" Goofy greeted with his trade mark laugh, "Hey there Aeris!" Aeris then took notice of Riku putting her right elbow on her arm and hand on her chin, "And who's this handsome man?" Riku felt uncomfortable.

Donald hit Riku's leg, "This is Riku, Sora's best friend, who he was looking for in his journey all along before." Aeris gasped, "Oh! So you're Riku." Riku nodded.

Riku skipped the introduction even though this was his first time meeting these people, "I don't mean to be rude, but time is not in our hand. We need to find answers on what's going now, for I fear for the worse for Namine and Roxas."

Leon nodded with a stern look, "Right. Let's go. Yuffie you stay here with Pluto. Merlin, Aeris come with me." Yuffie whined, "Awwww why do I need to take care of the mutt?" Leon smirked, "Because he seems to like you." Yuffie huffed, but obeyed anyway.

Soon Mickey and the others followed Leon through the small town. They made it through the corridors of the old ruined machinery castle. They entered the old shattered rooms that once belong to Ansem.

Riku turned to the side spotting the portrait of Xehanort. Riku gave a smug look at the picture of the ominous man who had a mysterious past. Riku went behind the desk and shuffled through the drawers while Leon and Mickey looked through the books and Aeris and Merlin looked through documents.

This was going to take forever. It would probably take until nightfall until actually finding some answers.

Back at Destiny Island it was the next day and Roxas was still in bed. He had sweat covered all over him. He didn't sleep well last night. He had nightmares that kept him up.

Roxas turned around to his side to look at the clock that was blinking red numbers indicating that it was 2:00 p.m in the afternoon. Roxas sighed from fatigue. He couldn't forget the dream he had. It was him back in the Organization and him taking people's hearts, but not only that their lives as well. Blood had soaked his keyblades and black leather coat. What freaked him out the most was the fact that he was smirking at the same time licking off the blood that stained a bit on his lips. He thought for a moment that he was a demon.

Roxas grabbed the sheets tightly in fear of his dreams and himself. His eyes were shut tight, tears almost springing out. All of a sudden his blue clear eyes sprang open as he heard a knock on the door and the sweet voice that followed, "Roxas are you up? You've been there for awhile. It's me Namine."

Roxas pulled off the sheets making sure he wasn't hallucinating. Roxas whispered in a desperate tone, "Namine? Is that really you?" Namine giggled, "Yes it is." Roxas walked up to the door slowly still feeling shaky.

Roxas opened the door to reveal Namine in a pair of tight blue jeans that traced her sexy, slender legs. On top of that she was wearing a green shirt that said 'This is the poopiest of days' Roxas laughed. On top of that she had a black vest with multiple zippers and pockets. The outfit fitted her nicely that he wanted to rip it off, of how much it traced her slender curves. Namine blushed from his stare.

Roxas coughed, "Sorry. But those cloths really bring out your body, that it just brings back memories." Roxas received another blush from Namine.

Namine handed him a bag of cloths, "Me and Kairi went shopping this morning and I got some cloths for you." Roxas took the bag of cloths gratefully. Namine headed down the stairs, "I hope you like them. I think it suits you, being a skater boy and all." Namine rushed downstairs.

Roxas closed the door and searched through the bag. He didn't even finish the conversation with Namine before she took off. He guessed that she was ready to come out of her own this morning. If only he knew he would have gotten up…. maybe.

Roxas took out a pair of blue jeans that was baggy and looked similar to his previous white ones. On the pants it had two loop bead chains around the left side of the pants. Roxas liked the style. Roxas put it on and it fitted him nicely. Namine knew his size. That thought made Roxas blush as he began taking out the shirt. It was a black shirt that had letters written in red, 'Yeah I'm a pro skater boy, and yet I still bust my ass.' Roxas chuckled at the words. Roxas then put on his usual wrist band and ring attire on his hand.

Roxas then took off out of the room downstairs to meet up with Namine and the others.

Namine was sitting on the couch with Sora and Kairi who was watching T.V. Namine smiled when she saw Roxas in his new clothing. It made him rather sexy. Namine jumped off her seat taking Roxas hand and leading him to the kitchen. Roxas was taken back, but followed Namine.

Kairi smiled amusingly, "Hey Sora I have to say this was a rather good idea. Letting the two of them have this day with each other." Sora leaned back on the couch putting his hands behind his brown spiky mane, "Well I figured Namine wasn't with us yesterday and Roxas probably missed her. Plus I have this funny feeling they need it." Kairi put her head on Sora's shoulder making him freeze.

Sora looked down at Kairi who pulled her head back to see his young, handsome face, "That's very sweet of you Sora." Sora smirked, "Hey that's why I do. Besides their going to be stuck with us tomorrow anyway during our first day back at school in the Kimono festival." Kairi nodded, "Either way it really turns me on." Sora stiffens from her words as her lips claim over his for a brief moment.

Sora just turned his gaze back on the T.V blushing madly. Kairi chuckled as she also turned her intentions back on the television.

Namine pulled Roxas to the side pinning him between her and the wall. Roxas was taken back when Namine took dominance on his lips catching him off guard. Roxas brain finally took in affect as he hungrily kissed Namine back.

Their tongues battled on for pleasure on tasting each other, but Roxas having more strength took his tongue and entered Namine's mouth suckling on her tongue and bottom lip. Namine moaned as she felt Roxas massage her rather plump breasts with his hands making them arouse from his touch. They finally broke their kiss needing air and leaving a trail of their mash saliva dripping down their bottom lips'.

Namine put some of her blonde hair behind her ear in a bashful manner, "Sorry it's just I miss you, even though it's been a day." Roxas put his hand on her shoulders, forgetting about the nightmares he had last night and the dark hooded man, "I feel the same way Namine. I missed you too." Roxas briefly kissed her wet lips, licking the saliva that dripped down from her mouth of their lust.

Namine shuddered from his approach and action. Namine tried to get to the point, but was difficult considering her mind right now was mush, "Um…Roxas I was wondering if today you and I can spend some time with each other." Roxas blinked before replying in a small smile, "That's sound like a good idea, but are you sure you can hold up?" Namine hugged Roxas who hugged her back.

Namine replied with happiness, "Yes I could hold up on my own today." Namine let go slightly to look up Roxas sweet, teen blue eyes. Roxas looked back into Namine's rather cute large light blue eyes giving him an innocent chibi look.

Roxas said questioning, "So where do you want to go?" Namine put her index finger to her bottom lip in a thoughtful look, "Why don't we go to park to see the cherry blossoms!" Roxas smiled. How could he refuse?

Roxas nodded, "Alright!" Roxas and Namine took off out of the door not until Namine grabbed her bag filled with her sketch book and case of new sharpen pencils, along with a skateboard.

Roxas and Namine made it to the cherry blossom park. Roxas was amazed on how pink and white it was. It was like something that came out of a Japan's fairy tale. There was no one else there much to his surprise. Namine walked around in circles on the pink pedaled covered floor. Roxas looked at Namine with pure awe on his face. She looked like a Cherry blossom Goddess.

Roxas walked up to her back grabbing onto her small yet curvy hips lifting her up off the ground. Namine laughed making it sound like church bells that only saints could make in heaven. Roxas and Namine collapsed onto the floor, Roxas turning around to the side so he could lie next to her. Roxas looked at Namine and gave her a weird look at she started flapping her arms and legs up and down against the soft pedaled ground. Was she making a snow angel, or rather cherry blossom angel?

Roxas chuckled as he began following her actions saying, "You know, you don't have to do that. You already look like an angel." Namine stopped as she looked at Roxas with pure shock of his comment, it made her smile, it's hard to believe that he use to be so cruel when he worked back in the Organization.

Namine got up starling Roxas. Roxas still lied down on the ground looking at the back of Namine's slender back, her slim shiny blonde hair swaying against the wind as more cherry blossoms began to fall. Namine halted Roxas breath as she spoke calmly, "Roxas can I draw you by one of the cherry trees?" Namine still kept her face looking ahead to oblivion.

Roxas got up nodding, "Sure, anything for you Namine." Namine turned around facing Roxas, her eyes twinkling with pure joy.

Namine took Roxas hand rubbing her fingers against his soft muscle skin. Namine lifted her and Roxas off the ground heading towards a large rather looking cherry blossom tree. Namine put Roxas down to sit him by the base of the bark. Namine sat ten feet away taking out her sketch book and opening up her pencil case. Roxas looked at Namine that whole time not quiet knowing what to do, he never pose for her drawings before.

Namine put her sketch book on her lap as she open up using a number three shading pencil. Namine giggled from Roxas's bewildered face. She pointed her direction to the left with her index finger motioning Roxas too look that way. Roxas complied looking the other way.

Roxas decided to cut the silence without moving from his position, "Hey Namine what do you want to do after this?" Namine was quiet for a minute showing deep concentration towards the drawing, but spoke, "I was thinking we could go to skating ring so you could skate with Sora's skateboard." Roxas slumped a bit, "But I didn't bring it."

Namine put down her pencil being half way done in the drawing, "Don't worry I brought it with me. I put it inside my bag where I kept my sketch pad and pencil case." Roxas smiled, "Cool, I'm glad you thought ahead." Namine laughed a bit until going back on finishing the drawing.

After awhile Namine finished, "There I'm done." Roxas got up feeling numb a bit on his legs and arms. Roxas turned to Namine's shoulders looking at the perfect sculptured drawing of him behind the cherry blossom tree. Roxas kissed Namine on top of her soft, silk hair, "It looks great Namine." Namine smiled as she started clearing the stuff away, "Let's go to the skating ring." Roxas nodded as they both exit the cherry blossom park, hand in hand.

They made it to the other side of the village town looking for the skating ring. Namine looked nervous as she stared down the map Sora had drawn out for her to get there. It looked like a first grader drew it. It was a big mistake asking him to draw the directions.

Roxas looked down at the map and was confused as well. Roxas looked up ahead hoping to spot the place any second now. Sure enough they did. Roxas put his hand on Namine's to put down the map, "Namine look it's over there." Roxas pointed up ahead to show Namine. Namine smiled folding the map into a small square and sticking it in her vest pocket.

Namine grabbed hold of Roxas hand running towards the skating park as fast as her converse snickers could take her.

They entered the place amazed to see many people there skating down on curled boards and along metal down stair polls.

Namine put her hand inside the bag and handed the skateboard to Roxas. It was a dark blue skateboard having the same design of Roxas old one, but the design colored in white than black.

Roxas took off to one of the empty space ring boards motioning Namine to come and follow. Namine sat on one of the benches watching Roxas as he waved at her having his feet at the near end of the skateboard and the other on the front tip taking off.

Roxas did multiple tricks on the skateboard such as the heel flip, kick flip, nose grind, and other tricks such as the rock and roll. Roxas received claps and 'Wows!' from the audience including Namine. That was until trouble came.

Roxas grind against the tip rails sending sparks against the rails against the skateboard's small wheels, flipping back and forth. That's when a skateboard thug pushed Roxas a bit from the rail causing him to stumble to the ground. Namine who was shock ran to Roxas side helping him up.

Namine glared at the man for pushing Roxas to the ground. Namine yelled at him her sweet voice overpowering in anger, "Why would you do such a thing? Just because you can't perform tricks like that doesn't give you the right to push another skater down!" The man mocked Namine's anger by stepping back a bit, while laughing at her.

Roxas got up brushing off from the fall, "I won't let you get away with that." Roxas threatened rising his face up showing a little bit of blood on the corner of his right eyebrow. The man snickered, "Oh yeah kid! You're just a newcomer who just wants to show off! Why don't you take your pretty girlfriend and get lost before I cause any damage on you." Roxas couldn't take the smug ugly face the fat thug was giving him.

Without a second thought Roxas jumped on the guy punching him in the face so hard that you heard a loud shatter of a bone being broken on the thug's nose. Namine was devastated, she tried to push Roxas off the guy not wanting him to hurt the man, or better worse kill him.

Roxas though ignored Namine, his heart hammering like a wild beast. Roxas pulled another fist back hitting the guy across the upper part of his face making his head split open gushing out blood. Namine had tears spilling out of her eyes as she saw Roxas hand covered in blood. Namine tried once more to stop Roxas by putting her weight on him pulling him off, but her plan was futile as Roxas pushed her back roughly, but that enough snap Roxas back to normal.

Roxas jumped off the groaning man, his face bruised and covered with his own dark blood. Roxas lifted his hands up a bit to see the blood on his hands that belonged to the thug. He looked up to see frighten faces of other male and female skaters in the park. Roxas then looked down at Namine's stained wet face from her crying, fear and shock written all over her face. Roxas started shaking his eyes shifting back and forth. Roxas then heard the mysterious man's voice inside his head, 'What a wonderful display of anger Roxas. It shouldn't be too long now until your whole heart is once again covered with malice. After all you are changing for Namine's sake. Just one more day and you will be back with the Organization. Oh but don't worry. When you do I guarantee Namine will be safe and whole, but in order to do that you must have madness inside you. This thug was a good start.' After that the man laughed wickly and vanished inside Roxas head making him collapse on his knees.

Namine didn't like the looks that everyone was giving them. Namine took this time to get her and Roxas out of here. Namine picked up Roxas skateboard putting it back inside the bag and went to Roxas side lifting him up with all the strength she had. They both exit the skate park leaving a trail of blood from Roxas dripping red hands.

They were making there way to Sora's house the sun setting down making the sky look half night and day. Roxas was dead quiet walking along with Namine as his support. Namine looked at Roxas cloudy blue eyes as if he was dead in the inside. Namine looked ahead again seeing that the blood on Roxas hand dried up.

Namine spoke aloud of an excuse to Sora and Kairi, "I'll tell Sora and Kairi that you tripped that's all while we were in the skating park and you scraped your hands. After that we could get you cleaned up." Roxas turned to Namine with an expressionless look as if saying how could her ridiculous excuse work when he didn't even have a gash on his hand, but rather his head. Roxas ignored it though and continued walking at Namine's side.

Roxas whispered Namine barely hearing him, "I'm sorry Namine. I don't know what came over me." Namine agreed, "Me neither, but I don't want you to think about it, after all tomorrow is the kimono festival at Sora's and Kairi's first day back at school." Roxas nodded taking in Namine's advice on not dwelling on it.

Maybe after this all that Roxas wanted to do next was to go to sleep. After all his life won't be his own anymore after tomorrow and his few days with Namine would be nothing more, but a dream. But to keep that dream to stay frozen and last forever he must do this, he must guide his heart to darkness in order to keep her alive and having her own heart.

Back at Radiant Garden it was already late and everyone decided to turn in for today, deciding on continuing their search for facts tomorrow, but Riku was impatient and was worried for his friends. Riku shuffled through the drawers and book shelves for the hundredth time. He was becoming frustrated when he still didn't find anything. Riku growled as he push all the papers that were on Ansem's desk on the floor.

Riku fell back on the old dusty cushion chair, sleep overtaking him. Riku thought rubbed his red, stinging eyes, sitting right back up. Riku went to another pair of documents on the shelves.

Riku gasped and turned around hearing the door open and the lights being switched on making his sleepless eyes squint. He relaxed though as he saw that it was King Mickey. King Mickey yawned, "Riku what are you doing here up at this hour?" Mickey gave Riku a soft scolding look. Riku looked back at the document, "I'm sorry, but I feel like we're running out of time." Mickey nodded, "Yes you do have that sixth sense when it comes to sensing the darkness, as well as light."

King Mickey walked up to Riku's side having a sympatric look, "Don't worry Riku. We'll find something tomorrow. Leon suggested we could go to the other room tomorrow where Ansem's computer is being held." Riku asked in shock, "A computer?" Mickey nodded.

Riku turned his gaze to the second door that was held on the other side of the room. Riku dashed to the door opening it. Mickey called out to him, "Riku wait!" King Mickey ran after Riku to the computer room.

Riku flipped open the computer switch. Mickey yelled, "Riku are you out of your mind? I said we'll check tomorrow! You need rest!" Riku refused, "No, I have to find out now your majesty, not only for Roxas's and Namine's sake, but for the worlds as well. I just know something is stirring inside the darkness."

Riku got frustrated when the computer asked for a password. Riku slammed against the keyboards. Mickey sighed pushing Riku away lightly. Mickey then spoke aloud while typing in the password, "Donald, Goofy, Sora." With that the password was accepted and they were in the systems computer base.

Mickey spoke with little hope, "I don't know if this will work. Last time when Sora, Donald, and Goofy were looking for some answers about Ansem's research and the Nobodies the access was denied." Riku's shoulder slumped, but then he had an idea.

Riku pushed Mickey to the side typing in 'Kingdom Hearts.' The computer then showed all green saying access granted revealing different categories of answers. Riku smirked while Mickey was in awe, "Well I'll be Donald's uncle."

Kiome-Yasha: "Yeah I know I'm late on updating once again. But like I said I had a lot of things on my mind lately. But now that some things are out of the way and I have this summer, hopefully I'll be able to update a lot quicker than usual. Hope you guys really liked the chapter and don't forget to review! I'll update the next chapter as fast as I can. YAY Riku figured it out!"


	7. The Cruel Departing

Disclaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or my fav characters Roxas and Namine. I don't own anything because I'm poor. Wooooooooo is me and others here."

Kiome-Yasha: "Well I'm in a happy mood. So many reviews! Here's another update for my KH fic. I have to do this because I'm leaving in a few days to go to PR and visit some family members and won't be back until for about a week, or two. So here goes my seventh chapter hope you like it."

Chapter 7 The Cruel Departing

Everyone stood around Riku the next day and stared in awe of the information that was provided to them. Who would have known out of the simplest things, Kingdom hearts was the answer to it all.

Leon peeked over Riku's shoulder, "I can't believe Kingdom Hearts was the answer, this whole time." Riku turned his head over to Leon, "It shows that we all think to hard."

Mickey laughed, "Gosh, if only other things were that simple." Goofy then spoke up, "Riku see the information it has on the Nobodies." Riku nodded as he turned around to the keyboard and mouse, pointing to the category that held Nobodies.

Information popped up automatically. Everyone read over the data, gasping and nodding about a few things that were horrible and understandable.

Aeris said holding up her skinny pale hand to her mouth, "I can't believe it. There's more that the Nobodies go through between light and darkness than an actual being." Riku continued reading down the information until he bumped into a category listing emotions. Those emotions were Love, Happiness, Hate, Sorrow, Anger, Courage, Friendship, Jealousy, etc. Riku was taken back. Why would there be information on that?

Riku pressed on Love without the others noticing. Donald took notice though, "Maybe it's the emotions that is within the Nobodies. Like how they react to those emotions." Riku kept scanning down the data, his eyes flickering with fear as he read on to the next raw emotion.

Yuffie said catching on a bit, "Those meanings are all wrong. It's a bit off. It's more twisted. I think this is the definition of a Kingdom Hearts desired by the Nobodies." Riku eyes grew wide as he read the results of a Nobodies heart being in Darkness, and how the emotions would twist into something wicked.

Riku whispered in a low tone, "We need to get back to Destiny Island…now."

Roxas looked up at the mirror with the small bandage that covered his closed wound above his eyebrow. Roxas sighed having the memory of yesterday's event repeating in his mind. Roxas felt even more sinister as he actually like the thought of beating the crap out of the guy and having his blood cover his hand and the cement floor. Roxas shivered violently for one second for even considering a wicked desire.

Roxas froze as her heard the door to the bathroom open. He turned around swiftly positioning him self in a battle stance position. Roxas stood his ground as he saw it was Namine holding a cotton ball in one hand and alcohol in the other, and a look of fright plastered on her face.

Roxas fell back on the toilet seat lid giving out a troubled sigh. It seems all he's been doing lately is sighing. Roxas kept his eyes half open as the thought of today being his last day with Namine.

Namine kneeled down on the floor giving Roxas a worried look, "Roxas are you okay? You seem a little tense." Roxas flinched from a sudden jolt in his heart, "I'm fine." Namine saw him flinch and saw him drench in sweat.

She thought the cause could be the scar on his head, "Does it still hurt?" Roxas shook his head knowing that wasn't where the pain was coming from, but rather his heart.

Namine not taking any chances took off the bandage slowly off his cut. The cut was closed up in a red harden shell of dried up blood, but still held some marks of open pain.

Namine held a despair look as she took the cotton, opening up the top lid of the healing alcohol bottle, pouring down the liquid on the soft white cotton ball.

She placed the wet cotton to Roxas wound. Roxas squinted from the pain. Roxas took hold of Namine's wrist stopping her from nursing his cut.

Namine gave Roxas a scolding look, "Roxas don't be a baby. I need to treat that wound before it could be infected." Roxas looked at Namine with a sullen look, "Its fine Namine. Don't worry about it." Namine gave Roxas a pleading look, "Please Roxas. I want you to be alright." Roxas chuckled, "Namine please, don't waste your time."

Namine still continued, trying to place the substance on Roxas scar. Roxas ducked trying to evade the cotton. Getting annoyed Namine pushed Roxas to the ground getting on top of him and placing the alcohol covered cotton on his small, yet deep wound. Roxas yelped.

Roxas then hit Namine's hand away, making Namine fall back on her behind on the bathroom carpet. Roxas stood shock for a moment before turning his head the other way so he wouldn't look into Namine's eyes.

Roxas whispered, "I'm sorry Namine, but like I said I'm fine." With that Roxas got up passing Namine and exiting the bathroom. Namine rubbed her hand, tears rising up her eyes. Namine whispered back to herself, "Roxas what's happen to you?"

Roxas pulled his hand back after putting it on his wound. He looked down to see blood on his hand. Roxas cursed under his breath, "Dammit, the wound opened up." Roxas took the old bandage that was on his cut previously and placed it over his open wound, hoping that would stop the bleeding from sinking through.

Roxas then looked down to his feet as he made his way to his and Namine's rented room. Roxas didn't mean to snap at Namine like that. Actually he didn't know what made him act so cruel like that to Namine. Namine was only trying to help heal his wound that he received yesterday from the fight he had with the thug at the skating park.

Roxas placed his hand on his heart grasping the cloth of his red tight shirt. His heart kept throbbing each time he showed some kind of negative, raw emotion of darkness. It also responded in pain when he held love, or any kind of emotion the reflected of light. Roxas knew it was probably his old feelings that he felt when he uses to be in the Organization. It was slowly returning like an old unwanted memory.

Namine then flashed through Roxas head. Roxas knew why he was doing this; somehow he was forgetting why he wanted to join back in the Organization in the first place. It was for Namine to stay and not disappear or in other words die. Could Nobodies really face death? It seems like they could, to the hooded familiar man. But for them to die they just disappear since they didn't have any hearts to begin with. But if that's the case then why isn't Roxas experiencing the same situation like Namine? His heart was hollower than Namine's. She acted like she did have a heart, a pure one as a matter of fact.

Roxas had to keep her here. Without her, he would have been kept in the realm of darkness forever. He wouldn't have seen the light that she had showed him. That light of love, comfort, and trust. But in order to have a future with her he had to join back in the Organization, and not to mention the realm of darkness. He just didn't know it would take such a toll on him, on his heart to actually have a wicked taste of malice.

Roxas whispered in despair having his own tears rising up, "Namine. You must understand I'm doing this all for you. I just hope in the end my heart knows where it truly lies of what I am and want to be."

Roxas came to a sudden halt as he saw Sora ahead of him with an annoyed look. Roxas cocked an eyebrow, "What's wrong with you?" Sora looked up at him with a depress look, "Don't you remember? Today is Mines and Kairi's first day back at school. Unlike you we have to intend." Roxas asked annoyed, "What's that suppose to mean?" Sora spoke defending himself, "Oh no! Not like that because you're Nobodies."

Roxas didn't believe Sora, but let it slide, "I wouldn't be too upset over it. I mean don't you have that kimono festival being held at your school as you pep rally." Sora perked up, "I almost forgot!" Sora then smiled his cheesy smile, "Thanks for reminding me Roxas!" Roxas groaned from annoyance from his slight mirror image cheerfulness.

Roxas froze when he heard Namine's voice behind him. "Don't we have to wear kimonos to the festival?" Sora looked at Namine to answer, "Um yeah, Kairi is getting the kimonos right now with my Mother."

They all jumped when they heard Kairi by the stair way, "No need to wait any longer we got the kimonos." Rinoa was behind her with bags in her hands, "So let's start with you Sora, I got you this nice blue kimono that matched with you eyes very well." Sora smiled as he followed his Mother downstairs along with the others.

Sora kept moving as Rinoa tried to keep the kimono straight and tied. Rinoa snapped with desperation, "Aye Sora would you hold still!" Sora protested, "Mom my back itches!" Rinoa scratched Sora's back to stop his nagging. Kairi and Namine giggled, while Roxas just shook his head in boredom.

After much time Sora was dressed in his blue kimono with Japanese letters that spelled out 'Knight', which made him handsome. Rinoa smiled at Kairi, "Kairi your next." Kairi nodded as Rinoa pulled out a purple kimono covered with pink flower pedals. Kairi was dressed quickly since she was with Rinoa when they first tried it on.

Kairi looked at herself side ways satisfied with the fit. She walked over to Sora who was trying to scratch his back again. Rinoa motion Roxas, "Roxas come on your turn." Roxas was startled, but walked over to Rinoa with caution. Rinoa chuckled, "Oh come on. I won't bite."

Roxas saw Rinoa take out a Blood red colored kimono that also had Japanese letters on the side which spelled out, 'Warrior.' Roxas smiled liking the engraved letters and color. Rinoa only took five minutes before getting the kimono on Roxas. It made Roxas dashing.

Rinoa then took Namine's hand as Roxas took off to Kairi and Sora I the other side of the room. Rinoa smiled at Namine, "I think you'll like yours Namine." Namine became anxious as Rinoa took out a pure white kimono covered with papou fruits design. Namine eyes glittered with delight as she saw her kimono.

Roxas was also amazed of its design. After Namine had her kimono on everyone was amazed on how tight it attached itself to her petite body. It revealed every curve of her body. Roxas felt so hot right now that he just wanted to tare it off from Namine.

Namine looked back at Rinoa, "Thank you very much." Rinoa nodded, "Now come on let's get you guys to the school's grounds for the party." They nodded as they all headed out.

When they got there, their jaws dropped. It wasn't a kimono festival, but rather a salsa festival. Everyone there was wearing tango dresses. Some boys were wearing sombreros hats. Roxas, Namine, Sora, and Kairi were confused.

Selphie who was with Wakka, and Tidus spotted them and ran over to them with excitement. Confused, Sora asked, "What's going on I thought this was supposed to be a kimono festival?" Selphie explained, "Well it seems like the school changed their mind and chose a more tropical tradition."

Kairi spoke with embarresment, "This is so embarrassing! We didn't get the memo! Now we look like idiots dressed all in kimonos and not in a more Spanish tradition!" Tidus jumped in catching up at Selphie's side, "We knew this might happen so we brought some cloths for you guys that Wakka's Mother fixed up since she's half Spanish from her Mother's side."

Everyone felt relieved as they took their own prepared clothing and went to the locker room to change.

Sora stepped out with a straw sombrero on his head with a nice dressy white shirt that he left one button open, with a pair of khaki light black pants with a blue band around his waist with a long tie on his left side. Sora looked stunning.

Sora spoke, "Hey not bad. At least it's more comfortable than that blue kimono." Just then Kairi stepped our with a flowing pink tango dress with a pink flower on the side of her left ear with a red tie around her waist that hung loosely of the ends on her back.

Wakka encouraged Roxas to step out, "Come on Brudda! Let's see how it fits ya!" Roxas sighed as he stepped out with a fancy black sombrero that had a red lace around the lump in the middle of it, along with a fancy red shiny, silk shirt which he left two buttons unbuttoned to show his slight develop muscles, plus khaki black pants with shiny polished shoes to go with it. All the girls in the outside party drooled.

Roxas innocent eyes turned over to Kairi who spoke out for Namine to come out, "Come on Namine don't be shy!" Namine stepped out with, her cheeks blushing in five different shades of red. Roxas almost had a heart attack. If he thought the kimono on her was irresistible, the salsa dress was rich and delicious! She was wearing a white gown that was loose, that if she twirled you could see her slender skinny legs and perhaps panties; she also had golden red zigzags that went around at the base of her dress, along with a gold tie that made a slimy bow on the side of her right waist, and a her hair was up, but still kept her blonde piece of hair that she always keeps on her shoulders up front with a red covered cherry blossom flower on the side of her right ear. Roxas was stunned and thought she was gorgeous.

Namine asked timidly, "Um how do I look?" Everyone was frozen on the spot on how much she glowed. Roxas drooled on how much cleavage the dress showed of Namine's milky shoulders and collarbone. Sora shookout of his gaze, "Namine you look fantastic! I bet Roxas thinks so too." Sora elbowed Roxas to snap him out of his trance.

Roxas spoke up abruptly, "Namine you look like a Goddess." Namine blushed more from Roxas's words that she couldn't resist, but to kiss him on the lips. Roxas embraced Namine making their sweet kiss more passionate. Namine giggled as Roxas licked her lips in a hungry matter.

Sora cut in, "Um hey guys don't mean to interrupt your kissy moment here, but we have a party to intend to." Roxas and Namine pulled apart, their face flushed from their intense kiss.

Soon everyone joined in the dance floor with the other students who were there. Wakka was the DJ and shouted out in the microphone, "Okay ya ready my dudes and dudettes!" Everyone shouted 'Yeah!'

Wakka placed the head microphone to his ear, "Alright let's get this pep rally started!" Wakka placed a soundtrack on called 'Hips Don't Lie' from Shakira.

Roxas didn't know how to dance salsa, or anything for that matter to any beat. Namine though caught on quickly as she followed the other movements and style of the students along with Tidus who was dancing with Selphie and Kairi who was no duh dancing with Sora.

Roxas mumbled into Namine's ear in a nervous tone, "Namine I don't know if I could do this." Namine turned towards Roxas with a confident face, "Don't worry Roxas I'll help you."

Roxas turned red as Namine put her back behind him and placed his strong yet slender hands on her hips. Namine then swayed her hips back and forth against Roxas. Roxas had sweat fall to his face feeling the heat rise up in the room.

The other pairing teenage dancers eyed Roxas as they saw Namine helping him to dance. Namine then turned her head a bit to Roxas, "Roxas just move along with my hips." Roxas nodded nervously as he did.

Soon Roxas got the hang of it and was dancing perfectly with Namine as they swayed together in a non innocent matter. Namine then turned around with a swirl making her dress float up. Roxas took hold of Namine's hand as they placed it to the side. Roxas placed his other hand on Namine's waist as Namine put her hand on his neck. They started dancing in a one, and two step fashion following the rhythm of the song, never missing a beat.

Sora and Kairi looked at the two with amazement as they took on the dance floor. Everyone just made a circle around the two clapping their hands together following the beat of the song. Roxas and Namine use the whole dance floor just following the song as their hips and feet moved together in a tango fashion.

Just when the song finished with the last beat Roxas twirled Namine around with his hand grabbing her mid back while his other hand swooped under her left leg pausing them in that position. Everyone howled and whistled at their performance. Roxas and Namine were covered in sweat. Roxas bangs dangled as Namine's side lock piece of hair was stuck plastered on her shoulder.

Wakka cheered on, "Give a round of applause to my new brudda and sista, Roxas and Namine!" Everyone clapped again with more force and cheered Roxas and Namine once again.

Roxas whispered to Namine as he put her down on her feet, "Namine let's take a break." Namine kept heaving, "Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Roxas and Namine stepped over to the side to get some air. Everyone returned to the dance floor as Wakka put on another song, but a slow salsa one.

Roxas sat down beside Namine as they took two chairs outside from the outside dance floor. Roxas looked up at the sky surprise to see how fast it gotten dark that he could see the stars coming out.

Roxas jumped a bit as felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Sora with four cans of Orange Fanta sodas, with Kairi close behind him.

Kairi sat next to Namine passing her a can. Sora sat next to Roxas passing him a drink also. Roxas open the lid quickly drinking down the bubbled orange substance with one gulp.

Sora laughed, "Quiet a show you two put up out there. Of course you two probably had experience." Roxas glared at Sora as he gave a devilish smile, knowing what he was talking about. Kairi spoke with enthusiasm, "You two were great! I can't believe on how in sync you two are together."

Namine blushed, "It's not that big of a deal." Kairi explained smiling, "You kidding me! Everyone's eyes were glued on you two." Roxas asked interrupting, "Really?" Kairi nodded.

Namine took a sip of her orange soda continuing to blush madly. That's when Tidus and Selphie came in. Selphie spoke with her cheerful tone, "Namine I never knew you had it in you to dance like that! You seem so innocent." Roxas protested a little, "Hey she still is innocent." Tidus grinned, "Not on the dance floor she's not."

Selphie said with a huge smile, "They're about to give out the fireworks soon! You guys have to come and see it! It's so romantic!" Everyone looked at each other and nodded.

Roxas, Namine, and the others left to the huge outside balcony of the school as they stared up at the dark starlit sky. Not too long glimmering lights of exploding fireworks shot up at the sky.

This was Namine's first time seeing an actual display of fireworks. She always dreamt about the sight in Kairi's memories along with Sora's. It wasn't Roxas first time though as he saw the light show once before with Pence, Hayner, and Olette. The mention of his three friends made Roxas develop a sullen face, even if they were made up data of the real ones who didn't know him.

The shooting magic rays of colors continued to glitter the sky. Everyone looked up with awe and amazement. Roxas tried to enjoy the show, but then remembered his bargain with the hooded Organization member man. This was his last day with his new friends, his last day with Namine. Not handling the truth well Roxas slipped his arm away from Namine's waist and exit the crowd.

About a few minutes later Namine noticed Roxas was nowhere to be found by her side. Worried Namine left to go look for him after speaking with Kairi and the others, "Sorry guys I'll be right back. I'm going to look for Roxas." They all nodded with understanding, but with a hint of worry and caution. Something didn't feel right to them.

Roxas was far away from the crowd. He could still hear the light echo of the fireworks and soft salsa music behind him though. Roxas violently took off his sombrero hat to the dirt floor.

Soon the mysterious man voice appeared, "It is time Roxas. Though I'm a bit surprise that you didn't say good-bye to your friends, or more importantly you're precious Namine." Roxas replied in an expressionless tone, "Trust me. It's better this way for me as well for her."

The ominous man spoke again still not revealing himself to Roxas, "I laid an open path for you ahead. Once you cross the dark portal you'll be once again dressed on your Organization attire." Roxas nodded, "Fine, I'm going ahead then. Namine doesn't have much time left. I could feel it, even though she puts up a great fight over it."

Roxas continued with a sullen expression, "I have no regrets up to this point. My only reason right now is to succeed on completing the broken state of Kingdom Hearts by replacing it with the purest of strong hearts and save Namine by giving her, her own." The man chuckled evilly, "Well said. I promise you Roxas when this is over you and Namine could finally live in peace. You won't fear on being Nobodies anymore, but will live as actual Somebody's."

Roxas only nodded. The man replied in his final words, "Come Roxas. We must prepare ourselves and form a new Kingdom Hearts from scratch." After that any trace of the man's voice within Roxas head was gone.

Roxas took in a big breath of air before stepping one foot forward, but he froze instantly as he heard her sweet, sacred voice, "Roxas, where are you going?"

Roxas turned around slowly to see Namine with a confused face, holding on to his hat that he had thrown on the floor a few minutes ago.

Namine asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "Aren't you going to see the rest of the fireworks with me, or intend the rest of the party?" Roxas only turned his face forward knowing the realm of darkness was just ahead.

Roxas shook his head slowly, "No Namine, I can't." Namine stepped forward, "Why…why not?" Roxas stood silent. Namine whispered in a tone that only Roxas could hear, "Is it because of yesterday?" Roxas continued to be silent, his usual expressionless look when he was in the Organization before plastered on his face. Like a soulless doll.

Namine gripped Roxas dirt covered sombrero, "Roxas please tell me what's wrong? Why did you just walk off?" Roxas had tears somehow appearing in his eyes as he heard Namine's voice start to crack. Namine shouted a bit, her voice giving out in desperation, "Roxas! Please answer me!"

Roxas turned around finally, showing Namine his expressionless gaze, as tears silently slid down his face. Seeing this Namine was becoming frantic, "Roxas what's wrong? Why are you so silent? You can tell me? Are you going somewhere?" Namine couldn't hold back as she took a few steps up to him.

Roxas took a few steps back. Namine was taken back from his action as tears began to fall on her flush cheeks, "Why are you stepping back away from me? Did I do something wrong?" Roxas shook his head to clarify her answer.

Roxas finally spoke in a distant tone, "I have to leave Namine. I can't stay here and watch you disappear." Namine shouted to reassure Roxas as tears shot out of her, "Roxas don't worry about that! We'll figure it out together! Please don't leave me!"

Roxas couldn't take her cries as he started to turn away from her again. Namine took action out of despair and love. Namine embraced Roxas from behind clinging onto him tightly as if her life depended on it.

Namine sobbed behind his back, "Roxas please don't go! Whatever is your going, or planning to do please don't do it! Don't leave me here alone! All I need is to prove I exist is your love! All I need is your love for me Roxas in order to keep me whole! Roxas all I need is you to stay by me and give me hope!" Namine continued to sob, as she began punching lightly onto Roxas tall broad back out of anguish.

Roxas stood frozen hearing Namine words as it struck his heart with such pain and sorrow. Roxas whispered back, "Love won't save you Namine. There's nothing my Love could do to keep you whole."

Namine yelled in anger, "Roxas don't talk like this! You were the one who convince me that our love wasn't a lie, or false reality. That we're not hollow bodies that have no hearts! Why are you suddenly having false beliefs now?" Roxas shivered from her words.

Roxas only replied, "Namine forget what I said. I was in denial. There's no such thing on what I said. In order our feelings to become a reality; I must leave you for awhile. Please understand."

Roxas lifted his head up as he held no emotions. Namine then spoke her final solution to convince him to stay, "Please Roxas I love…" Namine's words were cut short as her hold on Roxas vanished.

Namine stood still, her eyes widening as she felt Roxas presence behind her from a quick breeze motion.

Roxas whispered as a tear slid down his face, "Namine…I'm sorry." With that Namine's world went dark as she felt a punch go through her back to her stomach knocking her out.

Namine whispered tears continuing to fall from her angelic face as her body went limp, "Roxas…I…love you."

Soon Namine was placed on a bench carefully, as she lied there with her eyes closed and face wet from her tears in the dead of night, Roxas nowhere in sight.

Kiome-Yasha: "Omg I like totally cried there writing that part in the end of the chapter. So there you have it Roxas is gone and now is part of the Organization XII once again. Yeah about the festival I thought it would be a bit boring if it was just a custom Japanese kimono festival, no offense to the Japanese culture. So I threw in my culture to brighten things up and then turn it down to a depressing end, note to the title of the chapter. Now I can't promise I'll be able to update until I come back from my vacation on seeing my family in PR. Unless my Grandfather let's me use his computer, but highly doubtful. So I'm sorry if you think the next updating will be late, but until I get back I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviewers plz review like always!"


	8. To Search for a Heart

Declaimer: "I do not own Roxas or Namine, or anything that is childish fun of Kingdom Hearts."

Kiome-Yasha: "I hate to say it, but I'm still in PR. And I'm going to be stuck on this island until the first week of August…now I know how Sora, Riku, and Kairi feel. And since I know the two weeks I was suppose to update isn't going to happen I begged my Papa (Grandpa) to let me use his computer to update. Even though he did allow me on the internet, he didn't allow me to update before on his computer. You don't know what methods I used just to ask him to let me post up my next chapter. Well here it is to my die hard readers! Chapter 8! Oh and thanks for the wonderful and many reviews. 101 REVIEWS YAY!"

Chapter 8 To Search for a Heart

Namine was in darkness. She was scared and confused on how she got here. She then remembered the events that happened after the festival. She remembered Roxas leaving somewhere and her trying to stop him. Thinking of Roxas Namine called out for him through the dark abyss, "Roxas!"

No answer was returned to her. Instead something else popped out. Before she knew it Namine was standing on top of what it seems to be a colorful stained glass circle. She stepped back to see the whole design structure.

Namine gasped a bit when she sees Roxas in the middle of it with his Organization member outfit on with his hood pulled back and his face consisting a look of despair and loneliness, two of his keyblades in his hands, the Oathkeeper, and the Oblivion. Around his head commenced smaller circles of people who are most likely important in Roxas's life which was Namine, Axel, Hayner, Pence, and Olette, Namine being centered at the top. All around the large circle also held smaller circles of people that Roxas knew, or knows. It held all the Organization members on the left side and Sora and his friends on the right side.

The colors that were presented on the stain glass design were black, white, blue, red, green, purple, and a lime yellow. Namine didn't get why she was seeing such a design. Was this inside of Roxas's heart being enclosed?

Namine gasped with fright and froze as she held up her face in shock to hear a loud thump, which sounded like it came from a beating heart. Namine took a wry step forward hearing the heartbeat again in a loud abnormal matter. Namine's body seems to shake each time the thumping heart vibrated through the stain glass up to her body.

Namine yelped when she heard a monstrous shrieking sound. Namine turned around to see a shroud of Nobodies and Heartless behind her. Namine's eyes shrunk in terror as well as her face going pale. The Nobodies and Heartless didn't look like the kiddy less frightening design they use to have. These looked a lot more frightening and dangerous.

The Heartless had long venom claws that were red and seem to glow a purple color resembling the darkness they held, they also had their yellow eyes burning with fury and shifting back and forth like a ravaging animal, they were a lot bigger too with the antennas spike back giving a small form of zigzags at the end, their bodies were dark as ever, but they also had thorns pointing out from the back of their opening dark flesh showing their dark crumbling spine in the process, with long red talons on their feet, along with a long swirl red-pinkish tongue grazing over their long black jaws.

The Nobodies were equal, or even more frightening than the Heartless. They had two heads one over the other, both of them not having the usual Heartless head in their mouths, but rather two real human heads, their face purple of the result of darkness, The Nobodies also moved the way they did before, but a lot more crippled, and when they bended in their crippled state Namine could swore she heard the cracking of bones, and each time she did the two heads within the Nobodies mouths would shriek with pain having their eyes still closed. Just then the heads popped out like tongues showing lines of veins on the side of their faces and drool escaping the white coated Nobodies mouths in the process.

The heads pointed directly at Namine as she continued to shiver with fear, as well as it being written all over her face. The heads eyes then opened to reveal their eyes being red, and black, their pupils being red while the whole eyeball was black.

Soon the heads shrieked again along with a growl from the Heartless. Namine took this as a sign to start running. Namine turned around and began to run as fast as her legs could muster, but considering she was being chased by fearsome creatures it gave her an extra boost. The Heartless and Nobodies chased after her, the Nobodies swirling above Namine while the Heartless galloped with their talon hands and feet.

Namine almost fell down to the dark abyss as she came to a halt near the edge of the stain glass cylinder. Namine took a step back, but remembered the Heartless and Nobodies was as close behind her.

Namine turned around slowly to see the Nobodies and Heartless staring viscously at her. After a few second they all lashed out at the same time at her. Namine screamed, "Roxas!!!" After that she fell back falling off the stain glass cylinder and began falling down deep into the dark nothingness of abyss.

Soon Namine sat up from the bed sweat covering her body and her heart leaping out within her of shock. Namine was heaving, and gasping for breathe as she felt like she had lost air for some time after being under water.

Kairi jumped to Namine's side as well as Sora. Kairi looked worried as she placed her hands on Namine's shoulder to calm her down. Kairi look towards Sora while Namine continued to shiver and heaving for air, her sweat drenching her cloths to be honest Kairi's cloths.

Kairi asked Sora, "Sora get me a glass of water downstairs." Sora gave her a puzzled look, "You? I think Namine needs it more." Kairi glared at Sora. Sora took the hint, "Sorry, duh for Namine." Sora ran out the room going downstairs to fetch some water.

Kairi then turned her attention back to Namine, "That's it Namine take it easy. Take small breathes. Little by little okay." Namine listened to Kairi as she did just that.

Kairi rubbed Namine's back as to sooth her down from her nightmare. Kairi smiled as Namine breathing became normal. Kairi felt like Namine was the sister she never had, but felt more like little sister for taking care of her like this.

Namine mumbled a thank you; soon Sora came back with a clean glass of water.

Kairi took it and handed it to Namine. Namine took it gratefully and drunk the whole water in one gulp. Namine placed the empty wet glass to her covered lap. Namine stood quiet for a minute until she asked, "Where's Roxas?"

Kairi and Sora froze and looked up at Namine with confusion. Sora asked, "We were hoping for you to tell us that. After the two of you disappeared, we came looking for you guys after the party was over. We found you Namine asleep on one of the benches on the school's ground path, but we couldn't find Roxas anywhere on the island."

Namine stood quiet trying to muster something out, but couldn't. She already could feel the tears rising up from her clear blue eyes. Kairi spoke after, "Sora even checked Destiny Island to see if Roxas was there, but he wasn't."

Silence then engulfed the room. Sora and Kairi looked down at their feet pondering, while Namine looked out from the open window next to her. She could tell it was going to rain today seeing how gray and cloudy it was outside.

Namine then found her voice, "He left." That's when Sora and Kairi looked up at her in surprise. Sora asked, "What do you mean he left?" Namine shook her head, "I don't know. He just got up and left saying that he'll find a way on his own on how to keep me whole and not disappear." Kairi's anger rose, "What could he be thinking? He's doing something completely rash!"

Kairi then huffed continuing, "How could he just leave Namine like this? Didn't he understand that Riku was getting leads on finding out what's going on so we can't solve this problem?" Sora put his hand on Kairi's, "He couldn't take it any longer, and he couldn't take the wait. He needed answers now. I kind of understand how he feels. I probably do the same thing for you Kairi." Kairi looked up at Sora with sympathy in her eyes, "I know Sora, but it's just, how could he leave Namine like this."

Namine smiled, "Thanks you two for caring." Sora and Kairi smiled answering, "No Problem Namine. Anything for a friend." Namine nodded as she tried to get out of bed. Kairi though stopped her.

"Namine take it easy, you're still restless." Namine shook her head refusing, "No I have to find Roxas. I need to stop him on whatever he plans on doing. I just know he's planning on doing something terrible, and I know it's all because of me. It'll all be my fault if something bad happens to him, or anyone else for that matter." Namine sat up to the side of the bed having a guilty look on her face.

Sora comforts her, "Namine it wouldn't be your fault, don't be ridiculous. Roxas is a stubborn jackass, if anything you just showed him the most cold-hearted Organization member the meaning of love and wanting to protect you anyway he can." Kairi nodded in agreement, "That's right Namine. Roxas does what he does for you."

Namine sighed, "I know and that's what scares me; that he would go any length necessary to make sure I'm safe and by his side. I'm just afraid that in the process of doing that he would go back to the temptation of darkness once again. Before when he was in darkness and was with the Organization he did it to find out about his past and the truth about himself."

Sora and Kairi slumped in their seat with sadness. Namine stifled a sob, "I just can't help, but to know it's true. That I would lead him to his doom as well as others." Namine then put her crying face into her hands.

Kairi went to Namine embracing her in a sisterly hug. Sora cursed under his breath at Roxas for leaving the way he did.

Namine then remembered her dream. She couldn't help, but to feel the darkness around her was that of Roxas heart. That explained the abnormal heartbeat and the stain glass presenting Roxas with everyone who was connected to him and the Heartless and Nobodies appearing, they were eating away the light she had given in his heart. And now that light was disappearing slowly within the darkness along with her in his heart.

Soon the door in Kairi's room opened. The three of them turned around to see none other then Riku.

Riku looked at Namine and the state she was in. He only said one thing, "Too late."

Roxas was once again in the place he despises most. The Organization castle renewed and looking more threatening than ever.

Roxas snorted looking up at the white mechanic castle. The enigmatic man chuckled, "What's wrong Roxas? You've returned to your original home." Roxas replied in a growl, "I hardly call it a homecoming, or matter a fact my home." The hooded man came to Roxas side folding his hands behind his back, "So what you think of Namine and Twilight Town your true home where you belong?"

Roxas only looked to the side of the ground ignoring the annoying man. That's when Roxas looked back at the wet, damp, gloomy city of the Nobodies. It was a perfect replica of London in its darkest days.

Roxas then felt the enigmatic man step forward entering the castle from the beam of light road. Roxas looked back at the deserted city once more before walking off to the entrance following the man.

Roxas couldn't take it anymore as he asked the hooded man in annoyance, "Okay now that I'm here you could at least show me who you are. I'm tired of giving you the title of hooded man, Organization guy, or simply the guy who pisses me off."

The enigmatic man laughed, "Very well then." They both stopped as the man uncovered his true identity pulling off his hood.

Roxas spoke his voice covered in hatred, recognizing the design up silver hair and glowing amber eyes, "Xemnas." Xemnas smirked, "It's good to see you again, Roxas." Roxas position himself as if ready to strike at the man.

Roxas asked with anger on his face, "How are you alive? And why is The World that never was still here?" Xemnas simply answered casually, the threat of Roxas fighting position not fazing him at all, "I can not die until Kingdom Hearts is complete with the hearts and dreams of dark malice, but it also seems that it can't be complete without a bit of touch of light as well thanks to the hint Sora and his friends pointed out for me."

Roxas half-shouted, "That doesn't answer on how this world still exists!" Xemnas turned his back from Roxas, "You see this world couldn't be destroyed because Kingdom Hearts was being held here. And if Kingdom Hearts is by any chance destroyed it would be saying destroying the existence of hearts within people's hearts."

Roxas then flashed open his keyblades preparing to strike down at the man.

Xemnas chuckled as he asked, "Are you going to kill me Roxas? Let's not forget that I'm the one who provides the answer and power you need on keeping your Namine existing in this world." Roxas growled in frustration as he drew back his keyblades.

Xemnas smirked wickedly, "Good boy. Now I want you to meet some old friends of yours. Follow me." It's sounded more of a demand then a friendly meeting. Roxas though did as he was told just like he did before when he was under the Superior's command.

Roxas followed, "Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm here for you. I'm only here to save Namine and to give us our own life."

Xemnas only nodded as he kept walking ahead. Soon they were inside the dome of the Organization XIII meeting room. The chairs of each member are inexpressibly high, and short as others, but still high.

Roxas couldn't read one figure out considering he was way down below with Xemnas.

Roxas recognized the character in particular though as her blonde gel back hair and two strands of hair putting put to the side as antennas showed who she was.

Roxas whispered out, "Larxene." Larxene smiled as she jumped down from her seat landing gracefully down below.

Larxene tapped Roxas nose playfully with a mischief look, "Seems you remember me runt. I'm flattered."

Roxas spoke, "But how?" Larxene answered putting her arms out to her side while shrugging, "It seems that Superior still needed my assistance and decided to bring me back in the Organization continuing my role as number XII which I believe to be a number before you."

Even though Axel was his best friend in the Organization; Larxene was another member who he thought as a friend most of the time. She seemed to like Roxas way of cruelty when he once was shrouded in the mind of darkness, but not anymore.

Roxas answered, "It's good to see you, Larxene." Larxene gave a puzzling, disgusted look, "' It's good to see you Larxene' what are you getting soft on me Roxas?" That's when another voice came out that Roxas so despised probably even more than Xemnas.

"You could thank Namine for that, Larxene." Roxas turned around to see one of the Organization members he hated, Xigbar. Larxene asked, quirking up a brow, "You mean that witch?" Roxas snapped angrily, "Don't call her that!" Larxene replied with a hint of tease, "Why not Roxas? That's what she is. Are you in loooove with her?"

Xigbar snickered, "He's in love with her alright. The dude had sex with her." Larxene almost choked, "What!?" Xemnas only watched the reunion display, finding no need to stop the tease they had on Roxas.

That's when another familiar character stepped in with clear boredom on his face, "Will the three of you stop your bickering." Xigbar waved a hand, "Dude Zexion! Didn't hear you come in, Dude."

Zexion folded his arms across his chest, "How can you? You're as loud as ever." Xigbar scratched the back of his head, "Dude harsh!" Zexion looked at Roxas having an idea pop out of his head, "Although, I wouldn't mind joining to torment Roxas."

After he said that Zexion shape shifted as Namine. Xigbar laughed pointed on the suppose Namine, "Dude, you did it perfectly." Roxas shouted in anger, "Stop it, don't you dare imitate her!"

'Namine' spoke in a innocent yet husky way as Zexion made it act like she was touching herself, "Roxas don't you want me? Don't you want to touch me? I can give you pleasure, Roxas." Roxas's face turned red with anger, Xemnas watched on with amusement.

Xigbar laughed, "Zexion, dude, you gay ass." Zexion shifted back to himself, "Be quiet, Xigbar. You're an idiot as ever." Xigbar replied back, "Hey, I'm not the one pretending I'm Roxas babe."

Soon Marluxia himself came in, along with Luxord, Lexaeus, Xaldin and Saix; Professor Organization member and scientist Vexen being close behind them.

Larxene chirped up, "Marluxia long time no sees." Marluxia only glared at Larxene, "I have no attention becoming friends with you Larxene. I know all about yours and Axel plot from castle Oblivion to betray me." Larxene only laughed, "You did, did you? That's too bad."

Luxord spoke rather annoyed with Roxas presence, "What's he doing here?" Saix spoke after bowing to Xemnas, "He's here the same reason we all are. To revive our own Kingdom Hearts providing it with the strongest of negative emotions towards that of positive ones from the light."

Vexen spoke in his wise tone, "Yes I expected as much. Let's get things ready for the project shall we?"

Xigbar ruffled Roxas hair, which seemed to anger him even more, "Awwwwww I really wanted to mess with Roxas some more, but oh well." Larxene snapped at Xigbar, "Stop it already Xigbar, you bastard."

Larxene stood by Roxas as if she was his big sister. Roxas felt kind of glad that he could at least make one friend; even though Larxene could be a bitch at times.

Xemnas spoke, "I'm happy for our little reunion, but as you can see I didn't bring all of you back. I only brought back for those of you who are important of the new mission we embark and our necessary for me. For those who aren't with us, don't hold value to me and are too weak to grasp the power of Organization XIII."

Xemnas looked towards me and Larxene clearly with the hurt expression on our faces of not having Axel with us. Xemnas continued, "But don't fret my comrades. Luxord and I are going to work together along with Saix on finding new recruited members of powerful human like Nobodies to replace those who failed to please me."

Luxord spoke asking, "What about Axel Superior? The Flurry of Dancing Flames would have proved to be useful." Xemnas answered, "I would have, but there seemed to be interference when I tried. It something to do with Axel before he died." Roxas was confused on what he meant.

Xemnas then spoke out to all the remanding members, "All of you could rest for now. I'm sure the revival for some of you made you quiet tiresome. You made return to your original quarters where you once slept before in the castle. I only need Vexen services right now." Vexen bowed down to Xemnas understanding his order.

Everyone else soon disappeared through their own dark portals to transport them to their rooms easily without taking any attentions to walk there, except for Larxene and Roxas.

Xemnas turned to Vexen, "Vexen report to the lab and wait for me. I might need a talk with Roxas." Vexen bowed once again, "Of course Superior." With that Vexen vanished through the darkness portal. Xemnas looked back at Larxene and Roxas before exiting the room.

Roxas only stood quiet trying to muster out his feelings for his dear friend Axel. Axel who was the first friend he ever made in the Organization, but not only that his first friend he ever had as a Nobody. His memories had all return to him of his time with Axel when he reunited with Sora. They were the best of friends and were close, so close they acted like brothers. Roxas almost sniffled up a sob for not ever having a chance to say good-bye to Axel. Sure he saw it when he died and heard what he said about him, but still he couldn't help, but feel guilty for not being by Axel side when he needed him. He wanted to so badly say his departing words to his friend, but couldn't considering he was within Sora.

Roxas felt his eyes water until he heard Larxene spoke, "He promised me something you know?" He figured she was talking to him since there was no one else in the room.

Roxas turned to Larxene who had her head down ands hands clenched, "That bastard, that stupid good for nothing Jackass. He broke his promise to me Roxas." Roxas who had no idea Larxene held such feelings for Axel asked, "He promised you what Larxene?"

Larxene looked up at Roxas revealing her wet driven face from the tears that were falling from here blue ice eyes. Larxene tried to cover up her face from the tears that had fallen not wanting to show Roxas that she had a certain weakness of feelings towards a certain memorizing spiked back red head.

Larxene gave a stern look trying to hide her emotions that she couldn't describe; she didn't have a heart yet right? Larxene spoke in a low irritating voice, "It's none of your business Roxas." Larxene then wiped the last bit of tears off her face, "God why is it that I feel like my heart is being ripped out? And what's with the water works?" Larxene then bit back a few more sobs.

Larxene then directed her arm out to reveal a dark void portal. Larxene was about to step in, but looked back at Roxas with a grin, "Good-night pea brain. I'll see tomorrow." After that Larxene stepped into the portal without a second thought.

Roxas looked at the empty space that Larxene was once was. She didn't know, but Roxas could see that somehow Larxene had some sort of heart with the happiest light feeling in the world, love. Who knew Larxene could muster such feelings for his deceased friend. He also could still see the sad look in her eyes as she bid him good-night.

Soon the question came back to him on why there was such interference for Xemnas to bring back Axel. With the thought of asking Xemnas himself Roxas stormed out of the Nobody meeting hall into the clear white hallways.

When he stepped forward he was shock to see Xemnas already in front of him. It seems that Xemnas also wanted to talk with Roxas.

Roxas asked the question right away, "Why is it you couldn't bring back Axel? What was the interference?" Xemnas simply motion his hand signaling Roxas to follow him.

As they continued to walk down the narrow, long halls Xemnas started, "His heart Roxas, it was his heart."

It was getting late after Namine and Riku exchanged experiences on the events that took place after Riku's three days absence.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Namine were downstairs in Sora's house along with Rinoa Sora's Mother.

Rinoa gave Sora a stern look after Riku finished explaining the situation, "Sora you're telling me you've been on these crazy adventures since you left." Sora gave a nervous grin, "Yeah, I thought I told you already Mom when I got back home." Rinoa tapped her foot as she crossed her arm, "No, you simply told me you went on a vacation with Wakka, Tidus, and Riku with Wakka's and Tidus's Father as an escort." Sora slumped away in the couch.

Riku spoke with guilt, "I'm sorry Namine if only I could have come here sooner. Just when I found out the truth, well most of it." Namine shook her head, "No, it's okay Riku. My only concern is where Roxas have gone off too." Riku suggested folding his hand underneath his chin and his elbows on his knee, "It might have something to do with the Organization."

Sora shot up, "No way! Me, Goofy, and Donald took every last one of them. And let's now forget Riku, you and I took care of the big cheese himself." Riku spoke with frustration, "I know, I know, but I can't help, but to feel like their behind this somehow. I could just feel the darkness spreading, and what first to suspect, but to think of the Organization."

Namine face fallen into despair. Roxas couldn't have joined back with the Organization could he? No he wouldn't! Why would he? What could the Organization possibly give to help him save her? She just couldn't believe it. If it was true, she didn't even want to think about it.

Namine spoke timidly, "Riku could your suspicion be true?" Riku answered lifting up his head, "I'm not sure, but mostly I believe my suspicion is true." Namine looked even more depressed. Riku saw this and quickly changed his answer a bit, "Well I might be wrong Namine. It wouldn't be the first time I was." Sora whispered, "Got that right."

Kairi supported Riku's answer, "He's right Namine. We don't know if the Organization is really at work here, but we'll find out the truth soon okay?" Kairi placed a hand on Namine's shoulder as if to reassure her. Namine nodded with a smile.

Rinoa then said, "This Leon person really sounds like a great friend to depend on." Riku looked up as if he remembered something, "Leon that's right! Everyone stayed behind at Radiant Garden. They wanted me to deliver the message to you guys and report back to them. They want you guys to come and see for yourself the information I found in Ansem's computer."

Sora nodded, "Okay then we leave right away!" Rinoa shouted, "Hold it right there mister! You're not leaving without me coming along!" Sora stuttered, "Mo..Mom?" Rinoa smiled, "That's right Sora you dear Mommies is coming along for the ride." Riku, Namine, and Kairi all laughed at Sora's fear stricken expression.

All of a sudden though a sharp pain shot through Namine. Kairi quickly came to Namine's side, "Namine are you alright!?" Namine groaned in pain as she looked down at her hands. They were disappearing and fast.

Rinoa and Sora was in shock along with Kairi. Riku demanded quickly, "Namine you must return inside Kairi now." Namine heaved some breathes and shook her head. Namine concentrated her thoughts and heart towards her hands making them solid again. Everyone was shock to see the strength she mustered to make her hand solid once again.

Namine spoke in a whisper, but loud enough for all them to hear, "I can't. I can't go back inside Kairi, not without finding Roxas first. I need to find him. Even if it means being out in my own body and disappearing in the process." Kairi looked at Namine with sympathy, "But Namine…that might take forever. What if we lose you?"

Namine smiled up at all of them to give them fate, "Don't worry. I could hold on. As long as I know what my heart wants and what I want I won't falter." Sweat dripped off of Namine's face. They all knew she was putting off an act. It took all of her powers just to heal the vanishing affect on her hands.

Sora spoke while looking at Kairi, "Well we can't simply leave you alone. So after we go to Radiant Garden we go and search for Roxas." Kairi nodded in agreement as well as Riku.

Namine asked skeptical, "Yeah, but what about school?" Sora grinned, "School is for fools. Besides this a lot more important." Rinoa nodded giving out a sigh, "I hate to admit it, but my son is right."

Namine smiled with glee showing her pearly white teeth.

Rinoa said as she looked towards the teenage kids, "I suggest though we leave in the morning. It's simply late, and besides Namine needs some more rests it seems." They all nodded as they retreated to bed from the extra rooms Sora's house provided.

Namine slept in the room that she and Roxas had shared for a short time. Namine pulled the covers over her. Namine looked down at her now solid hands and sighed with despair. She doesn't even know if she'll still exist before she has a chance on ever seeing Roxas ever again.

Kiome-Yasha: "Man that took awhile. I was planning on making this chapter a little longer, but decided to just throw in the little cliffhangies instead. Ask for the Organization members I only brought back those that I liked and those who would be useful in the story. And yes I know this story might be getting dark considering how I describe the Heartless and Nobodies in the beginning, but like I said this isn't your ordinary happy Kingdom Hearts story, it will be consisting violence and lemon. And those reviewers who want a lemon to appear I'll think about. I might do Sora and Kairi, who knows. Well until next update (which is when I get back home in the first week of August.) Reviewers don't forget to review, or else you'll make Namine cry!"


	9. The Reunion

Declaimer: "Okay I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts series, or it's awesome characters! Disney and Squarenix does…..times like these I want to cry"

Kiome-Yasha: "Hey Kiome-Yasha here on another update on Nobodies could feel Passion too, well my summer in PR has come to an end and now I'm home spending the rest of my summer vacation here. And to Kintora, yes Rinoa and Squall is Sora's biological parents. I'm just tired of the whole cliché Cloud and Aeris being his parent gig, plus the fact that I hate that couple with a passion. And yes there is another lemon scene coming soon after the next few chapters ahead, but I'm debating right now on which couple, for now there is a couple I like to do. You'll find out eventually, it's a couple that's been bugging me for awhile. Well here's chapter 9."

Chapter 9 The Reunion

Namine woke up straight away the next day. She could smell the awakening traditional smell of breakfast in the morning. Namine got up from the bed inside the room her and Roxas had shared and made a groggy way to the bathroom.

She opened the bathroom door to see Kairi brushing her hair. Kairi looked at Namine and gave her a smile, "I'm almost done, so you can use the bathroom then Namine." Namine nodded standing there as she waited for Kairi to finish up.

Kairi brushed away the last knot in her hair away before leaving the bathroom so Namine can use it.

When Namine picked up an extra sample toothbrush out of the cup Kairi stepped in the bathroom again. Namine looked at Kairi, "What's wrong?" Kairi replied, "I just wanted to tell you that after breakfast we're leaving to Radiant Garden right away." Namine nodded understanding.

After putting toothpaste on her brush Namine began to brush her teeth . While she was brushing she noticed Kairi's presents still there by the door with a worry, sullen expression on her face. Namine finished up brushing her teeth and wiped her mouth before asking, "Is there something else you wanted to tell me Kairi?"

Kairi looked up at Namine rather startled. She then gave a blank expression again, "Namine are you sure you want to go through with this?" Namine gave Kairi a confused look. Kairi added more in her thoughts seeing Namine didn't understand what she was talking about, "I mean being out on your own, your weak enough as it is to even walk, you can't hold this disguise forever that you can hold on in your current state."

Kairi eyes became blurry from tears, "Your like the little sister I never had, one I want to take care of. I don't want to lose you Namine, if anything your the only family I have left. My Grandmother and parents died when the Heartless attacked our home. When I was washed ashore here in Destiny Island I was adopted by the Mayor of the town. Even though I was adopted and reclaimed a new family I was still alone living on my own in one big house." Kairi out of love and concern for Namine embraced her.

Namine was shock from Kairi's words and began to cry herself. Namine out of consciousness of Kairi's hug, hugged her back rubbing her back with her hand. Namine spoke in a whisper, "Kairi, I'll be fine. I want to find Roxas, I love him. You would do the same for Sora. I know because I'm you're opposite. And I'm happy that you think of me as a sister, I'm truly honored. Knowing that you feel that way about me makes me feel more of a real person than a Nobody."

Namine broke the embrace smiling at Kairi. Kairi wiped the tears away from her eyes, Namine doing the same with hers. Soon the two of them heard sniffling by the door. They turned towards the entrance of the bathroom seeing Sora sniffling up tears in his eyes. Namine and Kairi looked at Sora as if he had two heads.

Sora then opening up his arms, making Namine and Kairi jump from his sudden outburst movement, "'Sob' Give me a hug you guys!" Sora then embraced both Kairi and Namine making their expressions blank and unmoving. Sora continued to cry miserably, "I love you girls 'sob' such sisterly love!"

That's when Riku passed by as he was descending up the stairs and saw the affectionate scene. Riku quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not even going to ask, but breakfast is ready, and the sooner we can eat the sooner we can leave." Sora looked at Riku with a scolding look, "Riku, don't you see this is a crucial time for Namine and Kairi! Why must you be so insensitive?"

Riku pointed his index finger at Sora in a lazy way, "One Sora your acting gay, and two that's why I'm telling to HURRY UP AND EAT, so we can help Namine anyway we can. You silly naïve little boy." Riku then started to head back down to the kitchen.

Sora shook off his tears and yelled back, "Hey Riku you didn't have to call me gay or a silly naive little boy! Riku are you listening to me you insensitive prick?" Sora then went on pursuit for Riku throwing his fists in the air while running downstairs for the silver haired teenage boy.

Rinoa hearing Sora's foul language yelled out, "Sora what did you say in that dirty mouth of yours!" Sora's eyes bugged out, "I didn't say anything Mommy, please don't hurt me!" Namine and Kairi upstairs in the bathroom couldn't help, but to giggle at Sora's and Riku's silly rivalry.

Kairi looked at Namine seeing that their tears have dried up, "Should we get ready and head downstairs?" Namine nodded, "Yeah, we need to hurry." Namine and Kairi both went into their own respectful rooms and started getting dress. They both stepped out in the same time, Kairi still wearing her pink dress, but since it was so short she considered it as a shirt today, putting on regular long blue jeans in the process, while Namine she wore a gray shirt with a heart on it that had braded thorns on top of it, making it bleed while wearing torn up long jeans.

They both headed downstairs seeing Riku and Sora nowhere in sight. Kairi looked up at Rinoa and asked, "Where's Riku and Sora?" Rinoa sighed with a smile, "Those two competitive boys already finished eating and are now outside getting what I believe the Gummi ship ready for our departure." Kairi and Namine nodded as they sat down around the table.

Rinoa came around giving them baked pancakes, and sausages on a plate and two glass of orange juice.

Namine looked up at Kairi with concern. Kairi asked, "What's wrong Namine?" Namine looked down at her half eaten food, "I know we have to go, but do you think we can say good-bye to Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie first?" Kairi looked up at Rinoa who had a wide smile before looking down at Namine, "Of course Namine! We'll go see them as soon as we finish eating." Namine nodded with a smile before eating again.

Soon as they were done Riku and Sora had come back. Straight away Kairi told them their change of plans, "You guys, Namine wants to go and say good-bye to Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie before we go." Sora slumped, "Aw just when I was all excited to go!" Riku crossed his arms, "Now who's the insensitive prick?" Sora was about to respond, but stopped as he saw a glimpse of Rinoa's glare.

Sora looked at Namine with a tiresome look, "Sure Namine, we can go see them." Riku then added uncrossing his arms, "But make it quick." Riku looked at Kairi, "Kairi you go with her while we get things packed and settled in the Gummi ship. Rinoa ma'am, could you help me and Sora out?" Rinoa nodded as the three of them headed out.

Kairi and Namine cleaned off the table and kitchen before heading outside. Kairi answered while the two of them walked down the sandy road, "Today is Saturday, so the three of them are probably out by the shore docks heading to Destiny Island. Wakka and Tidus likes to train blitzball there, and Selphie well she likes to tag along with them to say how much they suck." Namine nodded as they were near up the hill.

They got to the top to see Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie getting the boats ready to leave just like Kairi had said. Kairi yelled out as she put her hands between her mouth, "Hey guys wait!" The three of them simultaneously looked up at Kairi and Namine.

Selphie waved with a grin, "Hey Namine, Kairi!" Wakka saluted them a hello while Tidus grinned, waving at them. Namine and Kairi walked towards them going around the beach wooden small fence and to the open shore docks.

Selphie replied as they walked halfway, "We were about to go to Destiny Island, want to come?" Namine and Kairi shook their heads. Namine finally spoke, "We came to say good-bye." Wakka replied in shock, "Good-bye? What for?" Kairi answered with a small smile, "I'm sure Sora told you about our adventures before in the outside world." They all nodded.

Namine then stepped in, "We believe another crisis is at foot and Roxas might be a part of it." Selphie sprang in realization, "That's why he disappeared!" Namine and Kairi nodded.

Wakka scratched the back of his head, "Ya sure you got to go out yonder after this trouble?" Namine nodded with a smile, "I have to find Roxas, I need to know what's going on." Tidus cut in with a look of hope in his eyes, "I'm guessing we can't come with you?" Kairi shook her head, "I'm sorry you guys, but you have to stay here. In case something happens you guys are the only ones strong enough to protect Destiny Island."

Tidus stepped in with a determine look, "Don't worry Kairi we will." Selphie asked though out of concern, "But how are we able to make contact with you guys?" Namine and Kairi pondered until Namine spoke, "You can use the Gummi radio at Riku's house!" Kairi looked at Namine with concern before agreeing with a smile, "Yeah, you can make contact with us that way."

They both looked at the three grown teenagers who had a confused expression. Wakka spoke, "A Gummi what?" "The ship that we have to be boarding now." They were cut off, turning around to see Riku.

Riku explained, "The Gummi ship is a ship that allows us to travel through the stars and worlds outside of our islands. I have a Gummi radio at home in case of an emergency to contact the King at Disney Kingdom. You guys can call us from there if trouble comes."

The three of them nodded spotting the Gummi ship that flew slightly overhead on the shore breaking up the water under it, seeing Sora and Rinoa inside it.

Tidus said in amazement, "So that's a Gummi Wakka patted Tidus on the head in a brotherly fashion, "Alright man! We'll call you guys if anything wrong comes up, but ya gotta make sure you come back safe ya."

Namine stepped up to Wakka giving him a gentle touch on his right bicep, "Don't worry Wakka we will." Selphie jumped in hugging Namine, "I hope you find Roxas Namine." Namine hugged Selphie back, "I hope so too." Namine gave a sad expression knowing the fact that Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus didn't know about her condition. Tears almost sprang up knowing this might be the last time she ever sees them. She tightens her embrace around Selphie more.

Kairi gave a soft nudge at Tidus and Wakka signaling them to join the embrace. Wakka scratched the back of his head while Tidus blush before embracing Namine and Selphie with a big hug. Riku sighed in annoyance as he heard someone sniffling up tears inside the Gummi ship knowing one person who would be a total sap right now.

The four teenagers broke away from their hug, Namine trying to hide her tears. Wakka commented seeing Namine's wet face, "Hey don't cry Namine, it's not like we won't see each other again ya?" Namine nodded, "Of course." Kairi's face fell hearing Namine's words, she knew why she was crying.

Namine bowed a good-bye at the three before heading towards the Gummi ship. Kairi waved good-bye as Riku started walking ahead raising his left hand up as his departing words. The three of them got on board the Gummi ship, all of them waving good-bye to Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka.

The gust of wind that the Gummi ship created blew the sand up as it took off upwards to the sky until Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie couldn't see them anymore.

Selphie asked Wakka with a wry look, "We'll see them again….. we'll see Namine and Roxas again right?" Selphie turned to Wakka who shrugged, "I hope so Selphie." Tidus cut in with an annoyed look of their behavior, "Come on you guys of course we will! Now come on, let's go to Destiny Island already! They know what they're doing, besides the day isn't getting any younger."

Wakka and Selphie agreed with a nod and smile as they got the ropes off the boats and headed towards Destiny Island with no care in the world.

Out in the galaxy Namine and the others were safely inside the Gummi ship drifting pass the stars heading towards Radiant Garden. That's when Rinoa realized something.

Rinoa looked at Sora, "Sora honey, where are we going again?" Sora looked back at his Mother from the steering wheel, "Where heading towards Radiant Garden, it used to be called Hollow Bastion when the Heartless took over, but now that it's safe it went back to it's original name Radiant Garden." Rinoa stood silent the name making her mute.

Sora noticed his Mother's silence and asked, "Mom something wrong?" Rinoa whispered, "It can't be…." Sora asked louder in concern, "Mom?" Rinoa jumped back and replied, "It's nothing Sora."

Riku then kicked his feet on the back of Sora's chair, making Sora cough from irritation from the impact. Riku folded his hands behind his head, "Well I'm pressing my button on snooze. So tell me when we get there Keyblade Dirtbag." Sora mumbled under his breath of 'asshole' and 'dickhead' so his Mother wouldn't hear.

Kairi sat next to Namine. Kairi looked at Namine who took out her sketch book and started to draw with an endless look on her face. Kairi peeked over the drawing to see it coming out as Roxas. Kairi placed her hand over Namine's hand. Namine looked up at Kairi slowly.

Kairi smiled brightly, "Don't worry we'll find him and we'll fix all of this. I promise Namine. Plus I promise to beat the crap out of Roxas when this is all finished as well." Namine chuckled, "Thanks Kairi."

Rinoa looked back at the two twin girls, "You should get some rest you two. I think this might take awhile." Namine looked over at Riku who was fast asleep. Kairi asked ahead at Sora, "Sora you going to be okay with us asleep and you driving?" Sora nodded, "Don't worry Kairi! I could handle this without supervision." Kairi crossed her chest, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Rinoa patted Kairi's shoulder, "Don't worry Kairi. I'll stay up to keep a watchful eye on him." Kairi nodded knowing it was alright if Rinoa was going to watch over Sora and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Kairi remembered the stories she heard from Donald when he said him and Goofy had to keep an eye on Sora driving the Gummi ship and not crash them into a huge meteorite. Kairi settled down on the chair resting against it as well as Namine doing the same.

Riku though with his eyes still closed spoke, "There's pillows in the compartments to your right." Namine opened the compartment to see a few white fluffy pillows. Namine turned to Riku with concern, "What about you?" Riku answered, "I could manage." He softly kicked the back of Sora's chair again making Sora mumble more foul words towards the sliver hair teenager.

Kairi reassured Namine, "It's okay Namine. Riku could manage." Namine nodded as she rested her head on the pillow as she placed it behind the chair. Kairi did the same falling asleep instantly.

Rinoa sat beside Sora watching the stars outside the window as they pass by them. Sora took notice that his three friends were fast asleep and decided to shut off the lights inside the Gummi ship leaving the only light coming from the stars outside the ship's glass sustained windows and the colorful blinking lights on the control panels.

Sora continued his steady pace as he made his way towards Radiant Garden…his Mother Rinoa of course keeping a close eye on him.

Back at the World that Never was as they walk down the long white halls of the Nobodies castle, Xemnas began explaining his reason on why he couldn't bring back the red headed member of Organization XIII.

Xemnas crossed his hands behind the end of his back, "You see I couldn't simply bring back Axel because of his heart." Roxas sighed out of irritation rubbing his temples, "Yeah I got that you Jackass, but I want to know is how and why?" Roxas glared up at Xemnas as they continued walking down the white blinding halls.

Xemnas couldn't help, but chuckle at Roxas's aggressive attitude, "Roxas you remember when Axel fell to his demise?" Roxas looked down at the floor with guilt, nodding to confirm his answer that he did remember the death of his dear friend…his first ever.

Xemnas continued, looking ahead with a blank expression, "Axel died with a feeling like none of us ever had." Roxas listened inattentively. Xemnas took a large step forward, "He died knowing the feeling and heart of Friendship, friendship that he developed with you I believe. That's why he felt like he had a heart, he cared and protected you like a little brother it would seem." Roxas asked confused with a puzzling expression, "But how could he end up having a heart?"

Xemnas replied, "That I'm not too sure of, but somehow the desire to protect the one you care for and knowing how to redefine those feelings of the heart somehow triggered something for Axel that made him human in the end before his death. That's why I couldn't bring him back, he wasn't a Nobody anymore…"

Roxas raised his right eyebrow in suspicion, "That's how Axel wouldn't allow you to bring him back?" Xemnas looked over at Roxas from his broad shoulders, "It seems like he feels like a Somebody if he remains dead, knowing he died with a desire and purpose on protecting his friends inside his delusional heart." Roxas shouted from the insult, "Axel wasn't delusional! He had a heart! It may have been lost when he became a Nobody, but he remembered how it felt to have one, he didn't lose it! Inside he still had his light!" Roxas stormed off ahead a bit before turning around slightly to Xemnas, "Just because you forgot how to have a heart doesn't mean the rest of us did."

Roxas then flicked his fingers to make a dark portal appear. He looked back at an expressionless Xemnas before walking through the portal leading him to his room.

Xemnas snickered as Roxas disappeared through the black portal making the dimension enclose in with him, "That may be true Roxas, but you too will end up like me, knowing nothing, but darkness residing in your so called 'heart'." With that said Xemnas turned around heading for the Nobody's libratory.

Gently in the dark galaxy between light and darkness one could hear a boy singing a song out loud inside a Gummi ship.

Sora song aloud cheerfully, "Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is, but a dream…row, row, row your…." "SHUT THE HELL UP!" came from an angry Riku with blood shot eyes.

Namine and Kairi had their ears plugged with their hands along with Rinoa. Sora's singing was getting irritating, especially singing a repeating verse song like 'Row, row, row your boat'.

Sora just glared at Riku before revealing a evil smirk, "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes…I know a song that OUCH!" Riku had hit Sora across the head with a shoe given by his mother Rinoa.

Sora scratched the back of his head in pain, looking back at his Mother and friends, all of them glaring at him fiercely. Sora had little form of tears at the side of his eyes, trying to hold them back.

Sora spoke up in a whining tone, "You didn't have to hit me like that you know, that really hurt." Riku shrugged, "Didn't hurt me, but your singing did." Sora grumbled as he grabbed tight onto the steering wheel, "Are we there yet?"

Kairi replied smugly, "I don't know, you tell me? YOUR driving." Sora looked down at the radar to see if he could spot Radiant Garden ahead. Happily he did as a wide smile appeared over his face.

Sora pointed his index finger ahead to show the others, "Radiant Garden is right ahead. I'm going to contact Leon from the Gummi ship communicator." They all nodded as Sora grabbed on to the speaker, "This is Keyblade Master over to Broody Leon and the Restoration Committee can you hear me? Over. Hehehe I always wanted to do that." Rinoa along with Riku, Kairi, and Namine sighed from Sora's goofy behavior.

They started to have a scratchy respond at the other end, but was to hard to tell who's voice it was, but it spoke anyway, "This is Radiant Garden's radio Gummi station requesting you to land Keyblade Master. Over." Sora nodded as he hung up the speaker and started descending towards the world structure of Radiant Garden.

They breeze right through the atmosphere coming to a landing spot near the Radiant Garden Laboratory of Professor Ansem. At the landing sight they spotted Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey with his loyal dog Pluto.

Sora turned off the Gummi ship's engine from the ignition and pressed the lid glass button of the Gummi ship allowing everyone to step out. King Mickey approached them with a wide smile.

As soon as Sora stepped out of the ship though Goofy, and Donald tackled him to the ground. Sora gave a 'humph' sound landing face back to the ground from the impact. Donald lifted himself up along with Goofy, "Sora we missed you!" Goofy gave a laugh, "Hey yuck, we sure miss having you around!" Sora tried to sit up replying with a grin, "I miss you guys too! It's been awhile."

King Mickey along with the rest smiled with the small reunion. King Mickey took a glance at Namine sensing the lack of energy within in her. Mickey grabbed hold of Namine's hand with a gentle nudge startling her.

Namine looked down at the mouse King who had a concern expression, "Your Namine I take?" Namine nodded without hesitation. King Mickey let go of Namine's hand, "Your losing energy of light from your body fast. Why? I still have yet to understand, but trust me Namine we will find the answer." That's when Jiminy Cricket appeared over Namine's shoulder, making her gasp from his sudden appearance.

Jiminy reassured the King along with everyone else, "I'm sure if we can't find all the answers here we can always visit Yen Sid on what's going on between the worlds and how the darkness might affect them." King Mickey nodded, "Yeah, my teacher Yen Sid might be able to help with a lot about the Heartless movements."

While everyone was getting acquainted again Rinoa looked back and forth of the area she was thrown in. Sora noticed his Mother's distant stare around the place, "Mom you okay? I know it feels weird being in a world you never been before considering your whole life you've been stuck on an island, but…Mom?" Rinoa looked closely at the building in front of her, "I…I've been here before. This place…." Losing her words, Rinoa along with the others turned towards the short distant stairs that lead to Ansem's laboratory after hearing someone climbing up from them.

Rinoa held on to her breath as she saw the Restoration Committee leader Leon climb up the stairs. Leon had his hands in his pockets and head bend down as he spoke lowly, "You guys finally made it. Sure took you long enough." Leon finally looked up as his eyes practically flew out of him when they had landed on Rinoa.

Leon stuttered trying to find his words, "Ri…Rinoa?" Sora asked surprise, "You know my Mother Leon?" Rinoa spoke as she took one step forward, "Squall?" Soon Rinoa sprinted forward embracing Leon tightly around the neck. Sora and the others shock from the affectionate embrace. Leon who had an astonish look embraced Rinoa right away.

Leon pulled Rinoa back seeing tears running down her face, "Rinoa, but how?" Rinoa shook her head, "It's a long story Squall." Sora asked confused, "Squall?" Leon turned to Sora and the others forgetting they were there.

Leon looked down at Rinoa, "Care to explain to us?" Rinoa nodded, "Yes, it's going to be a long story though, on how things came to be of me ending up on Destiny Island, but first there's something I must to you Squall…. and Sora." Sora and Squall looked at Rinoa giving her their full intention.

Rinoa stepped back scratching her arm with her hand nervously, "Let me first say this….Squall….Sora is your son and Sora Squall AKA Leon I suppose is your Father…" Everyone gasped. Sora literally passing out on the floor while Leon started to gag and cough violently….soon passing out as well.

Xemnas entered inside the Nobody's laboratory through the slide doors. He looked across the room and spotted Vexen. He walked up to Vexen expected to see some results.

Vexen looked at Xemnas and spoke in his scratchy scientific voice, "It would seem you explained to Roxas about Axel." Xemnas nodded before asking quickly, "So how are things?" Vexen shook his head, "Kingdom Hearts is badly damaged as we thought from the result of your battle against the Keyblade Master and his friends, but that only means good news for us." Xemnas chuckled lightly, "Yes, it does."

Soon Saix came into the room through a dark portal, "Superior I have found new Human like Nobody candidates that would prove useful and powerful in the Organization XII." Xemnas grinned wickedly, "Perfect send them in."

Kiome-Yasha: "Again this Chapter should have been longer then it originally is, but too much is going inside my head that is making this story longer than it was originally plan. So to cut my ideas down I decided to vote on for cliffhangers to appear in the chapters thanks to my Boyfriend who came up with the idea and reviewed by the way. So don't come after me with pitchforks for leaving you hanging with cliffhangers like this chapter for example, chase General Cloud. Right now if I did make this chapter longer it would have been 24 pages and it would have taken me forever to update. So which do you rather prefer, a cliffhanger, or a long waited update. I prefer cliffhanger. Well until next time! Review or else you'll make Sora cry, like he hasn't already done that in the chapter already lol."


	10. The Start of it All

Declaimer: "Hey don't own Kingdom hearts, or its beautiful characters, Disney and Squarenix does. I do however own this story and the new Nobodies I created with my great imagination )"

Kiome-Yasha: "Oh God you guys probably have pitchforks right now to kill me. I could explain honestly on why I haven't updated sooner than I had intended to. Here's the thing my computer had crashed so I had to go to Dell and get it fixed including getting a new Hardware. Not only that I lost everything in my previous files so I had to wait even more to get it all back. So if you can find it all in your hearts to forgive me and have sympathy for my poor wretched soul plz do. Well here's Chapter 10. FYI this story is far from over 'Wink'"

Chapter 10 The Start of it All

Sora woke up in agony. He could have swore he heard his Mother saying that Leon, or Squall to put it simply, was his Father. Sora opened his eyes wider to see Kairi sitting beside him from the bed he was lying on.

Sora rubbed the back of his head sitting up a bit, "Oh Kairi, I just had the most bazaar dream. My Mother told me that Leon was actually my Father and then I fainted and like totally passed out, can't you believe that?" Kairi simply nodded out of pity at Sora being clueless, "Um Sora that did happen, both you and Mr. Leon collapse after finding out the news."

Sora was quiet for a moment, or two before yelling in the top of his lungs, "WHAT?" Kairi covered her ears, "Sora please be quiet. Your Father is still resting after all." Kairi then giggled. Sora didn't take this as a joke, "No this has to be a dream." Sora then began hitting himself in the head, "Wake up Sora! Wake up!"

Kairi only sighed from annoyance until Namine came in with a glass of water. Sora stopped hitting his head asking Namine, "Namine, tell me Kairi is lying to me." Namine was confused for a minute before registering, "Oh you mean the fact that Mr. Leon is your Father?" Sora practically began to pull his hair out, "Oh God no! Namine you have to be kidding me! Is it April fools day, or something?"

Kairi took the glass of water from Namine, "No, it's not. Sora, just accept the truth, Leon, or in other terms Squall is your Father. Now here drink this, you had a nasty fall." Sora suddenly began rubbing his head again, "I was wondering why it hurt so much." Namine giggled.

Sora took the glass of water, drinking it all in one gulp. He let out a sigh from being refreshed, "Man it's just hard to believe, and here I was thinking my Father left my mother, or just dropped dead." Sora placed the empty glass by a near by table, "So where is my so called 'Father' and Mother now?"

Namine pulled a seat by Kairi, "Mrs. Rinoa is with Mr. Squall right now waiting for him to wake up. Riku would let us know when he does." Sora then began getting up off the bed, "Then in the meantime before I confront all this, Namine why don't we go check Ansem's computer data."

Namine jumped up a bit to stop Sora, "No Sora! You should rest. You did after all take a big blow to the head with the concrete floor." Kairi mumbled so Sora wouldn't be able to hear, "Yeah, when he was three." Sora waved his hand, "Don't worry; besides I want to say hi to Tron." Kairi got up to help Sora, which Sora happily obliged.

All three of them left the room with know one noticing. They made it out through the corridors of the palace looking laboratory halls, passing the clear glass bridge to the computer room. Namine rushed to the computer looking at the screen with wonder.

Kairi put Sora down a bit to let him carry himself. Sora whined, "Aw Kairi, just when I was getting comfortable." Kairi blush a bit, "Sora now's not the time."

Kairi pointed at the computer where Namine was fidgeting wither to press something, or not. Sora defended himself with his hands, "Hey don't look at me! Last time, I almost broke the thing practically when trying to find my own information."

"You got that right."

Sora, Kairi, and Namine all turned around to see Donald and Goofy. Sora smiled widely, "Hey guys!" Donald walked up to Namine making his duck feet clap against the floor.

Namine asked Donald with a hopeful look, "Donald you wouldn't perhaps know how to use this thing do you?" Donald looked up at Namine talking in his usual screechy duck tongue, "I'm not too sure Namine." Goofy spoke up, "Garsh, maybe we should ask the King?"

Just then King Mickey stepped into the room, "Did someone call me?" Donald and Goofy gasped, "Your majesty!" King Mickey laughed walking up to the computer screen.

Mickey looked up at Namine asking, "Namine I hope this will help, even a small bit." Namine nodded, "Yes me too, anything to know where Roxas is at, or what he might be up to." Sora tackled through between Namine and King Mickey, "I want to know too."

King Mickey nodded with confirmation. He then began clicking away the password 'Kingdom Hearts.' Soon information popped up in columns. Namine looked closer seeing that it listed emotions between that of light and darkness, but there was also something else there too to sacrifice, the door, the door to Twilight.

Sora looked puzzled as he squint his eyes to read the information, "Okay what the hell does this mean? Door to Twilight, I thought there was only a door to Darkness, and Light." King Mickey answered, "It's seems that the door to Twilight is mixed with the hearts that held darkness and light, but somehow there's something else that lies beyond it as well."

Kairi then walked up to the others, "So what are the emotions describing?" King Mickey looks deep in thought, "We're guessing it means that these are the emotions that are held in each door of hearts. For example envy, hatred, jealousy belongs inside the door of Darkness, while Love, courage, friendship belongs in the door of Light."

Sora crossed his arms, "Okay, but that doesn't explain this door of Twilight."

That's when Riku came in, "That's why we're planning to go see Yen Sid about it." Everyone turned around swiftly to see Riku as he walked towards them coolly.

Riku started to explain, "It would seem that Ansem didn't finish his reports on his research before he died. All I know is that somehow these three doors were created by Kingdom hearts itself. It proves that Kingdom Hearts is good and bad at the same time consisting that of Darkness and Light, but the Door of Twilight what's that all about?" Riku looked at the screen as if trying to find the answer there, but not even Ansem's computer held the answer.

Namine looked troubled as she looked back at the screen. She walked up the large keyboard clicking in about the Nobodies and their goal.

Kairi asked Namine, "Namine what are you doing?" Namine scrolled down with the mouse as she continued to scout through the computer, "I'm trying to find anything about the Nobodies and their goal, or more importantly Xemnas goal."

Riku replied a little taken back, "So you sensed his presence too Namine?" Namine nodded, "Yes, it was faint at first, but I know it's him." Sora asked a little annoyed, "Man, why can't evil dark sucking villains ever die?" Everyone shook their heads not knowing the answer as well.

Namine couldn't find anything and sighed in defeat, "I can't find anything about the Nobodies."

"Is someone looking for information on the Nobodies?"

Everyone jumped back when the computer spoke, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy recognized the voice right away, "Tron!"

Tron spoke within the computer with excitement, "Sora, Donald, Goofy! It's been awhile!" Sora asked with a smile, "How've you been?" Tron said with enthusiastic, "I've been good. Been dancing and singing a lot lately. You guys wouldn't have anything to do with it would you?"

Sora acted innocent, "No, why would we?" Sora then presented his toothy grin.

Tron explained, "I hate to say, but information on the Nobodies and about their goals has been deleted from the server." Everyone shouted out in surprise, "What?"

Tron spoke with guilt, "It's true. Someone must have hacked into the computer without me being aware and deleted all the information that was saved in Xehanort's reports and records."

King Mickey spoke with an outburst, "Xehanort's!" He took a pause before talking further, "So Xehanort used Ansem's computer without his permission for his own research when Xemnas strictly told him it was off limits."

Goofy asked, "But who would hack through the computer to delete Xehanort's reports?" Kairi answered with a guess, "Could have been Xemnas?" Everyone stood in deep thought, having a million in one questions and answers running through their heads.

King Mickey then spoke not wanting to trouble anyone, "Don't worry everyone we'll figure this out. As soon as Leon wakes up, we'll leave when we're ready to see my master Yen Sid." Everyone nodded agreeing.

Tron apologized, "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you guys." Namine shook her head, "No, it's okay. You helped us know a few things. I just want to know where Roxas is at." Kairi gave sympathy to Namine putting her hands on her shoulders, "Namine, don't worry. I'm sure Yen Sid could help us." Namine nodded with a sullen expression and worry.

That's when Riku remembered, "Oh yeah I almost forgot! Um, Sora your Dad is awake." Sora yelled, "He's not my Dad!" Kairi sighed in annoyance, "Come on Sora just accept the truth already! Mr. Leon is your F-A-T-H-E-R."

Sora had a vein pop out of his head, "You know what! I'll just have to hear it from my Mother again to make sure you guys aren't passing a fast one on me." Riku shrugged, "Trust me your not hard to trick. We would have picked the simplest thing and you would have fall for it."

Sora punched up his fists, "Hey! You know Riku you're an ass." Riku replied childishly back, "I know you are, but what am I?" Sora simply said, "A Jackass." With that Kairi froze, "Oh my God! Did Sora actually made a comeback?"

Sora looked at Kairi with shock, "Kairi!" Kairi laughed. Sora ignored his childhood so called 'friends' and said bye to Tron "See you later Tron. We'll come by again if we need anything from Ansem's computer." Tron replied, "Affirmative."

They all left the room heading towards the open halls inside the palace laboratory to go see Squall and Rinoa. Namine though was far behind pondering to herself.

She looked down to her right hand as it began to clear up again, but using some of her powers of that of light Namine made it whole again, not without a few drops of sweat across her face though, as a result. Namine sighed as she tried to hide her condition from behind her friends whispering, "Why is this happening? Roxas I hope you're not causing any trouble for my sake."

Xemnas walked up the Alter of Naught to go and see the new recruited Nobodies, but not without Roxas of course close behind. Roxas asked annoyed, "Tell me again why you wanted me to come and see these new Nobodies?" Xemnas chuckled, "Why Roxas it's because you're my favorite." Roxas shuddered speaking sarcastically, "Oh don't I feel special."

They made it to the center of the circle where Kingdom Hearts stood in pieces in mid-air up front. Roxas gazed down to see four new Nobodies looking more dangerous than the ones they were about to replace.

The first one that got Roxas was the little girl who looked about twelve years old. She had short pink hair that cupped her face, her eyes were a piercing green, her skin was a tan color, she whore the trade mark Organization outfit while holding her given skill weapon which was a bow and basket of arrows.

The second one was a grown woman who looked about her late twenties. She had curly brown hair that reached to her mid back, her eyes were brown, but held a hint of ember in them, Her skin was darker than the young girl's, she too whore the Organization member wardrobe making it reveal her perfect feminine figure, she held what it would seem to be a deadly long whip as her weapon.

The third Nobody was a muscular man who looked about to be in his early thirties. He had dark blue hair, which his middle bangs only revealed themselves on his face and the rest of his hair on top was split into a wave, his eyes was an ending pool of dark blue, his skin was a pale color, and like the females he whore the man suit of the Organization, and in both muscular hands there were perfectly well shaped fighting gloves saying, deadly punches are surely to be given from this guy as well as kicks.

Soon Roxas turn to the last person, which was a young slightly muscled man who looked about to be in his early twenties. He had orange hair, it was well trim slightly spiky, like if he was in soldier, having a long thin pony tail tied by his mid neck, he had dark chocolate eyes, his skin color a lighter tan than the little girl's, and he too like the other three sported the Organization outfit, and in his right hand he carried a large axe to present as his weapon.

Xemnas spoke clearing his throat, "The young girl is the Gazing Straight Arrow, the older woman is the Wicked Fallen Vixen, and the big muscular man is the Perishing Mute of Silver, while the younger man is the Banishing Slice Axe."

Roxas sighed, "Okay and their names?" The young little girl presented herself as well as the others, "My name is Minx. The woman with me is name Linux, and the tough muscular guy here is Marxeus, and last and not least my older brother Hexer." Roxas crossed his arms with no surprise, "What a surprise you all have the letter 'X' in your names. Well whatever, just prove yourself useful when the time comes. I don't need dead weights to slow down my goal."

Roxas turned around and began to walk away until something shot through his cheek piercing the flesh a bit making a small gash as it bleed. Roxas turned around with annoyance seeing that Minx was the one who shot him with her arrow as she was position in her striking pose with her bow looking menacingly at Roxas.

Roxas wiped the blood off his cheeks, "I admit your skilled, but don't let it get to you." That's when Roxas left taking the stairs back to his room.

Minx growled stomping her feet, "Who does he think he is?" Xemnas chuckled, "Don't mind him. Roxas is the must cruelest member here believe it, or not and the strongest, besides me of course."

Minx crossed her arms with annoyance. Linux purred seductively, "He needs a good spanking with my whip. And considering how handsome he is, I'll make it extra painful." Hexer tried to calm his sister, "Don't let him get to you. He's just provoking you. You'll show him what you're made of soon enough." Minx smirked evilly.

Xemnas smiled with satisfaction of his new found Nobodies in the Organization. He crossed his hands behind his back, "Now then should I show you all to your rooms." Linux smiled, her red lips curving into pure seductiveness, "A cozy bed sounds good."

Minx called out to Marxeus who stood silent the whole time, "Come on Marxeus!" Marxeus only gave an expressionless look as he walked towards the others.

Xemnas then opened up a dark portal bowing down slightly, "Well then shall we. I must discuss with you and the others about our plans tomorrow. So you need plenty of rest." They all nodded except Marxeus as they all walked inside the portal, Xemnas being last as the portal disperse, vanishing quickly.

Sora and the others made it to where Squall and Rinoa were opening the door to see Squall sitting up from his bed and Rinoa about to give him more water.

Squall took a long hard gaze at Sora, Sora did the same. Rinoa giggled putting her hand to her lips, "He gets his looks from you. He does after all have your eyes and hair color." Squall mourned, "I can't believe it, this whole time, but how?"

Sora was frozen at the spot while everyone else decided to sit down to hear Rinoa's story.

Rinoa sighed, "Sora, come over here you need to hear this. Radiant Garden after all would have been your birth place." Sora gasped slightly edging forward to his Mother and Father.

Rinoa smiled, "Well this is how things happened."

Flashback

It was a sunny day in Radiant Garden, Lord Ansem was continuing on his research between darkness and light as always. Rinoa remained in the bathroom after taking her pregnancy test. She felt sick again as she threw up into the toilet after finding out that it was positive. She was going to have Squall's baby.

Rinoa brushed her teeth to clean out the smell of the vomit. Before long Rinoa stepped out of the bathroom feeling woozy, but refreshed.

That's when Rinoa bumped into Tifa.

Tifa panicked thinking she hurt Rinoa, "Oh my God! Rinoa are you alright?" Rinoa nodded holding onto her stomach, "I'm fine. What's the rush Tifa?" Tifa placed her hands on her hips, "It would seem like something is going on with Ansem and he ordered me and Cloud to help him right away."

Rinoa looked puzzled, "Really? I wonder what it could be." Tifa shook her head lightly with a smile, "Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing." Rinoa smiled back feeling reassured.

Tifa then began to walk pass her, but turned around to say, "Oh Rinoa." Rinoa looked up to give Tifa her intention. Tifa smiled knowingly, "You should tell Squall you're pregnant soon." Rinoa gasped. How could Tifa know about these things?

Rinoa nodded feeling speechless at the moment, Tifa nodded and headed back down the halls.

Rinoa stood in the halls, quiet for a moment before gaining confidents on seeing Squall about the matter.

Rinoa went outside to find Squall staring up at the blackened sky. Rinoa gulped before speaking up behind him, "Squall…" Squall was surprise from the sweet voice that cut the silence, but smiled when he saw that it was Rinoa.

Squall spoke with a sincere smile, "Rinoa what's wrong?" Rinoa was lost for words, but spoke, "It's…it's nothing. I was just wondering why you were looking up at the sky?" Squall looked at Rinoa for a moment before taking a glance up at the dark sky, "I just find it strange that it's so dark outside when it's early noon."

Rinoa took the chance as well to look up at the dark sky. It was pitch black, and before long shooting stars started to strike through the sky. Both Squall and Rinoa were in shock as the saw brilliant lights of shooting stars took their way across the sky.

Rinoa asked in total shock and worry, "What's going on?" Soon both Squall and Rinoa heard Cloud behind them, "Get out of there you two! Something went wrong with Ansem's research." Squall and Rinoa nodded trying to escape from the fissure that was coming.

But it was too late as a crack appeared under them splitting Rinoa and Squall apart. Squall made it to the other side where Cloud and Tifa stood.

Squall tried to reach out for Rinoa, trying to grab onto her hand that was reaching out for him, but Cloud held him back.

Squall yelled out as heartless started to appear from the ground surrounding Rinoa. The heartless looked at Rinoa gazing at her intensively like she had something within her that they wanted.

Squall shoved Cloud away as he pulled out his gunblade, "Rinoa I'm coming!" Squall jumped across the other side from between the large crumbling crack as he sliced through all the heartless.

Tifa grabbed onto Cloud as the floor started crumbling even more than before. Cloud held a firm grip onto Tifa so she wouldn't fall.

Tifa though gasped as she pointed to the Heartless that were beginning to surround her and Cloud. Cloud growled out of frustration letting go of Tifa gently as he pulled out his bandage buster blade. Tifa nodded as she too took her fighting stance.

Squall kneeled down to Rinoa to make sure she was alright, "Rinoa are you hurt?" Rinoa was shaking from fear, "Yes… I'm alright." After that Squall put his gunblade back in its sheath and picked Rinoa up bridal style and jumped across the open crater to Cloud and Tifa.

That's when Ansem stepped out with a terrified look, "This wasn't supposed to happen. How could my research been so corrupted?" Cloud yelled back to Ansem, "Lord Ansem get back! You'll get yourself killed if you stay out here!"

Tifa continued to fight the heartless as she asked Ansem the Wise, "Master Ansem what are these things?" Ansem answered refusing to run from the battle, "They are called heartless my dear. I didn't imagine this will happen when I tried to learn more of the door of darkness, but look what happen I opened up Pandora's Box itself."

Squall put Rinoa behind him to protect her while him, Cloud, and Tifa continued to defend off the heartless whose goal seem to be Rinoa. Ansem seemed to notice and question these actions.

Soon Tifa saw a shuriken pass by like a boomerang slicing through a curve line of heartless destroying them into dust. Tifa looked up with a smile, "Yuffie!" Yuffie jumped into the battle grabbing back her shuriken, "Hey Tifa! You guys need any help?"

Tifa nodded as her and Yuffie fought back to back. Cid then appeared pinning three large heartless all together with his spear. Cid looked up to the others with a plastered grin, "You young asses are good for nothing! Spiky, go protect Ansem and your love!" Cloud blushed a bit from Cid's comment knowing who he meant by love.

Cloud followed Cid's order anyway though, "Alright." Cloud went to Ansem's and Tifa's aid guarding them with his life.

In the meantime Squall and Yuffie were protecting Rinoa from the heartless that seem to be after her. Yuffie shouted out in aggravation, "Argh! They just keep coming dammit!"

Ansem stated as he stood behind Cloud and Tifa, "They can not be defeated that way. You need a special weapon to get rid of them, if not they will continue to come until they get what they want."

Cid asked pushing back a huge fat heartless with his spear, "And just what the hell are they after?" Ansem spoke stating flatly, "A strong heart, a heart so strong that it's even tasty to eat."

Squall looked back at Rinoa who continued to hold onto her stomach shaking with fright. Was Rinoa really what their after?

Tifa screamed out, "Cloud behind you!" Cloud turned around preparing to slash any heartless with his large sword, but wasn't fast enough as the one wing like heartless cut through his chest piercing through his heart.

Cloud screamed out in agony as he felt the darkness slip inside his flesh from the heartless. Tifa rushed to Cloud's side forgetting all about protecting Ansem shielding Cloud from the heartless bringing out a strong light as it protected them.

Cloud collapse onto the floor panting heavily. Tifa held onto Cloud's hand shouting him to wake up. Ansem rushed to both of their sides examining Cloud's condition, "This is bad, the darkness has spread through his body experientially." Tifa looked worried as she lashes her face towards Ansem with tears spilling forth, "What does this mean? Is Cloud going to be okay?"

Ansem scratched his bearded chin, "He won't die if that's what you're thinking, but he has indeed been touched by true darkness. It will be hard for him to escape from it, but thanks to your strong will in protecting him with your strong heart of light Tifa, he was spared from having a full dose of the darkness that one winged heartless had."

Tifa nodded looking down at Cloud with concern. Ansem continued explaining, "But I think because of that something was created from Cloud's heart and the heartless, and further more your light is now a part of Cloud until he could find his light again." Tifa nodded with pure understanding, "That's fine."

Tifa walked forward to the army of heartless, "Master Ansem watch over Cloud. I'm going to protect you both, don't worry." Ansem was about to refuse, but nodded. Tifa sprang forth in the fight again, aiding Cid to fight off the large number of heartless.

Yuffie asked Tifa from the other side of the battleground, "Is Cloud alright?" Tifa nodded punching out a heartless, "He'll be fine. Keep fighting!" Yuffie did so throwing her shuriken to a group of heartless.

The sky was becoming darker as if the darkness was about to engulf the world. Rinoa gasped when she felt a fuzzy, claw hand grab onto her arms and legs.

Squall heard Rinoa's gasp turning around swiftly, but was blocked as darkness shot up from the floor making him unable to get to Rinoa.

Rinoa shouted out desperately while trying to get away, "Squall!" Squall tried to break through the darkness force field slicing away with his gunblade, but it was taking no affect.

Squall shouted back to Rinoa, "Rinoa!" Soon Squall was able to get through the dark shield, but the heartless were already gone along with Rinoa.

Squall looked left to right, she was gone, his Rinoa was gone and he couldn't protect her. The dark sky started to lift back into light as the sun shined down mockingly at the group especially at Squall.

Cid spoke from realization, "So it was Rinoa those bastards were after." Squall started to pound down on the floor as tears freely spilled across his face miserably, "Rinoa! Please forgive me!"

Rinoa was falling down in the realm of darkness choking from the pressure. She was holding one hand to her stomach and the other to her heart trying to find someway to breathe.

She froze in fear as she heard a monstrous voice whisper out in the darkness, "The child…Keyblade Master…..one of the chosen ones." Rinoa screamed out for help, but her voice was left mute.

The darkness was closing in on her; Rinoa thought this was the end for her and her unborn child until a blinding light appeared over her lower abdomen.

The flash of light burned through the darkness sending it away as well as the heartless cowering down in fear.

Rinoa fainted from the shot of energy, making her go unconscious.

When Rinoa came to she was on something soft yet moist at the same time. Rinoa opened her eyes to see a pair of brown eyes belonging that of a woman. The woman was holding hands with red-headed boy whose hair was beyond bazaar.

The woman shouted over to her husband, "Honey she's alive! Call an ambulance and hurry!"

Rinoa kept holding on to her stomach the whole time. She asked with a weak voice, "Where is this?" The woman smiled genuinely, "You're at Destiny Island ma'am." Rinoa closed her eyes going unconscious once more.

End of Flashback

Rinoa calmly finished her story, "After that I decided to live at Destiny Island. Nine months later Sora was born and we lived at Destiny Island peacefully for sixteen years."

Squall looked down at his lap, "I changed my name to Leon because I felt like I failed to protect you Rinoa and that you died. It was because I couldn't hold the guilt when you were depending on me to save you when the heartless took you away, when you shouted out my name." Squall innocently looked up at Rinoa who only kissed his lips lightly to reassure him she wasn't upset.

Everyone looked at Sora whose eyes were teary. All of a sudden Sora pounced onto Squall crying comically, "Oh Father!" Squall tried to push Sora away, "Alright Sora get off of me! It feels so weird with you calling me Father."

Sora looked at Squall as if he was hurt, but Squall smiled, "Call me Dad instead." Sora nodded a smile.

Kairi clapped her hands, "Such a sweet reunion." Squall looked at Kairi, "So Kairi this means I'm your future Father in law?" Both Kairi and Sora blushed madly.

Sora tried to cover his embarrassment, "Dad!" Everyone started laughing except for Namine who suddenly fainted.

Kairi and Riku ran to Namine's aid. Kairi asking in panic, "Namine, Namine are you alright?" King Mickey ordered with a serious expression, "Take her to a room where she could rest."

Both Riku and Kairi nodded. Riku picked Namine up bridal style, following Kairi out of the room.

Sora looked back at his parents, "Can we talk later? I want to make sure Namine's okay." They nodded.

Rinoa placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, "Of course Sora. Your friend needs you right now." Sora gave a determine look as he left waving a hand at Rinoa and Squall.

Squall spoke, "I have a warm-hearted simpleton for a son." Rinoa giggled agreeing.

Riku placed Namine down on a soft, comfy bed. Sweat was dripping down on Namine's face as she was panting softly.

Kairi took a seat by Namine; Sora did the same putting a hand over Kairi's shoulder.

Riku stated seriously, "She must be hiding her condition from us so she wouldn't make us worry." Kairi asked, fear in her voice, "You don't think her time is about to end? Do you guys?"

Riku only gave a sullen expression. Sora though shook his head, "Nah, no way! Namine has a strong heart. I come to realize that about her, even if she is a Nobody. That's what makes her special."

Kairi nodded with a smile resting her head on Sora's shoulder as the three friends waited for their sleeping friend to wake up from her sudden unconsciousness.

Namine was back at that place, the stain glass cylinder that had Roxas and the people that were involved with him painted on it. Namine became frighten remembering the last time she was here.

But that feeling changed when she heard a voice she recognized, or rather memorized, "There's no need to be scared Namine. No heartless here to eat you up today. You're a Nobody made out of pure light and L-O-V-E, got it memorized?"

Namine gasped as she stepped forward seeing a red-headed, shadowy figure, "Axel?"

Kiome-Yasha: "Hehehe. Surprise! You all thought I wasn't going to bring Axel back huh? Well of course I was! I do love him after all. He is still dead though, but he will serve as a guidance for Namine in spirit. Well hope you enjoyed this chapter. And yes things are popping up questions I bet like the Door of Twilight. Hehehe that's something you must figure out by reading ahead, including other questions and surprises. Well until next update. Hope to hear many reviews."


	11. Visiting Master Yen Sid

Declaimer: "Do not own Kingdom Hearts, or Roxas and Namine. Life sucks for us fans."

Kiome-Yasha: "Yay! I'm updating! You think I forgot this story? Heck no, with the many reviews I received from last chapter; I'm definitely going to update for you guys. Just don't kill me for updating so late, please? Well, here's chapter 11."

Chapter 11 Visiting Master Yen Sid

Namine stared in conjecture. Axel, the Dancing Flame, was right in front of her. She smiled slightly, still feeling unsure of seeing her Nobody friend, besides Roxas of course.

Namine stepped forward, Axel smiling cheekily, "Well, this is a surprise, for you that is." Namine asked, "Axel, is it really you? But, you're supposed to be dead." Axel put a hand on his chest, acting as if he was hurt, "Namine, that hurt. I do have a heart now, you know." Namine gasped, "You do? What does it feel like?"

Axel scratched his temple with his index finger, "Not really sure. Guess for not having it for so long, could kind of feel weird." He dropped his hand, "But if I have to answer, it feels warm and fuzzy." Axel felt embarrassed by his use of words.

Namine giggled, but sadden a bit, "That's nice to hear." Axel crossed his arms, giving a sly look to Namine, "You miss him, huh?" Namine was taken by surprise, giving a short nod.

Axel cursed under his breath, "Roxas, that asshole. Doesn't know what he's getting himself into, as always." Namine looked hopeful at Axel, "Axel, do you know where he is?" Axel looked at Namine, shaking his head, "Can't tell you that. You have to find out for yourself. It's destiny in the making of the hearts, Namine."

Namine quirked a brow, feeling confused from Axel's last statement. Axel sighed, shrugging his shoulders and hands hopelessly, "Best to show you what I found, while in the limbo." Axel grabbed hold of Namine's hand, dragging her off the cylinder glass, jumping off into a light.

Namine closed her eyes, shielding her sight from the blinding light. When she came to open them, she was shock to see a silver, gold door in front of her.

Axel smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, "This Namine, is the Door of Twilight, or in other references, the door to dawn, got it memorized?" Namine looked at the door, almost feeling connected with it, her voice, holding enticement, "What's beyond it?"

Axel spoke, "Don't know yet. But they say, when it opens, I can finally be free." Namine looked back at Axel, her face holding questions, "They?" Axel chuckled, "Don't look at me. I don't hold any answers than you do."

Namine looked back at the colossus door, wanting to break through its boundary. Axel coughed, "This is one of the reasons I contacted you for Namine, and to help you get Roxas back." Namine shifted her position, staring Axel right in the eye.

Axel started to speak, having a strange look of importance, "Namine, Organization XII is back, and so is Xemnas. You, Sora, and the others have to stop them. But beware, Xemnas recruited new members in the team." Namine felt a thread in her heart, "Is Roxas, is Roxas also in the Organization?"

Axel slumped, "Namine, the Roxas you knew is long gone. I'm sorry." Axel twisted his head back, thinking. He then pulled himself straight up again, "Namine, I just want you to be prepared for anything that happens." Namine still looked baffled, her mind racing, most of it focusing on Roxas. Just what is Axel trying to warn her?

Namine craved for an answer, "Axel, please. Tell me, what should I do?" Axel smirked, "Just keep having that strong heart of yours, Namine. It will guide you to the light, once more. Your special, don't forget that." Namine was getting a little irritated, Axel wasn't making any sense.

Axel grinned, seeing Namine getting a little agitated, "Good, that's how it's suppose to feel." Axel looked up at the door, "Namine?" Namine looked up at Axel, quirking her head to the side, "Yeah?" Axel face became calm, "Can you do me a favor?" Namine nodded, "Sure, what is it?" Axel placed his hands on the door, "Try to open this door for me? You can't right now, but when you can, could you?" Namine looked up at the enormous door, smiling with a nod, "Of course, Axel."

Axel smiled, a real satisfying smile, "Thanks, and get Roxas back. This is good-bye, Namine, for now anyway." Namine beamed, "Don't worry I will, got it memorized?" Axel chuckled from Namine's attempt on mocking him.

Namine felt a breeze, her body being pulled back. Axel looked up, "Looks like your waking up. Namine, I'll be seeing you. I'm your guardian and link to Roxas, got it memorized?" Namine nodded once more, her face holding determination, "Thank you, Axel."

Soon Namine was gone, vanishing like dust. Axel smirked, "Well, time for me to do my ghostly errands."

Namine woke in a jump start surprising everyone, Sora, falling over from his chair. Kairi gasped, "Namine, you're awake!" Sora groaned from his fall, Riku stepping on top of him. Sora made a loud 'oomph.'

Riku asked Namine, "Namine, why did you pass out all of a sudden? Was it because of your condition?" Namine stood quiet, plotting away to avoid the truth.

She smiled, an assuring smile, "I'm fine guys, really, just a bit light-headed today." All three teens looked at Namine, not really sure to believe Namine's answer.

Namine went into deep thought, remembering her conversation and meeting with Axel. She had so many questions racing inside her mind, not knowing how to find the answer. Namine looked up a Riku, "Riku, are we planning to see Yen Sid? King Mickey's, Master?"

Riku nodded, "Yeah, as a matter a fact, I'll tell his majesty that we should go right away." After that Riku left the room, heading to find King Mickey.

Kairi turned to Namine, her eyes holding concern, "Namine, are you sure? What about your condition?" Namine was silent, wanting to avoid the concern her friends have for her. Sora got up from the floor, having an annoyed look, "Yeah, Namine, you need to be careful. I think it will be best that you stay here."

Namine gave Sora, and Kairi a scolding look, "I love Roxas, with all of my being, heart, or not. You can't tell me to stay! What about Kairi, huh Sora? She left the island, to find you! I'm not going to sit here, and wait. I'm going to find Roxas! And I'm going to bring him back home!" Sora and Kairi seemed to wince from Namine's fraught outburst.

Namine slumped, putting her face into her hands, trying to stop the urge to cry.

A few minute later, King Mickey entered the room with Riku behind him. He gave a comforting smile, "Well, we're prepared to go anytime." Riku, Kairi, and Sora looked at Namine, hoping that she'll change her mind by going and recuperating here at Radiant Garden.

But she didn't.

Namine looked down, before looking up with an establishing look, "Let' go, then." Everyone nodded, leaving the room, only Kairi and Namine staying behind.

Kairi stood next to Namine, who was struggling to get off from the bed. She was about to fall, until Kairi caught her. Kairi gave a fruitless sigh, Namine ignored her. They began to walk out of the room, Namine holding on to Kairi for support.

They made it outside, where the others were waiting. Donald and Goofy pulling up some materials, while inside the cockpit. Namine looked ahead, after steadying herself up. It was decided that the ones to go would be: Riku, Sora, Kairi, Namine, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey.

Sora was saying good-bye to his parents, "Well, Mom…Dad, I have to go, and save the worlds, again, my third time, a possibility of life and death, my destiny, my…." Squall hit Sora in the head, "Alright, we get it. Be careful, son." Sora beamed, embracing Squall with affection.

Rinoa gleamed, "Awww, my two men, hugging." Squall placed a hand between him and Sora, shoving him away. Sora lets go, still smiling like a goofball.

Rinoa placed a kiss on Sora's cheek, hugging him tightly, "Be safe, Sora. Come back soon." Sora hugged his Mother, "Don't worry, Mom. We, as a family, have a lot of catching up to do." Rinoa nodded, against Sora's neck. Standing up from her crouch position, Squall places a comforting hand around her shoulder, calming her from crying.

Sora nodded, "Well, time to go." Sora turned around, heading towards his party. Everyone got inside the cockpit of the Gummi ship, waving good-bye to everyone else.

Sora sat himself on the pilot ship, until Riku pushed him off. Sora yelled, throwing his fists up in a tantrum, "Hey! What gives, Riku?" Riku placed his hands on the stirring wheel, giving a grumpy look at Sora, "Sora, go to sleep. After you flying, and singing all the way until we got to Radiant Garden, is driving me to the edge of killing you. Everyone and I agree that I should drive." Sora placed his hands on his hips, "Oh yeah, who's everyone else?"

Sora turned around to the silent quad, everyone avoiding his gaze. Sora made a 'humph', going to the back, to find a seat.

Riku started to click-up some switches, turning on the ignition of the Gummi ship, getting ready for take-off. Everyone looked down to the others that were staying behind. Sora crying as he waved good-bye to his parents. Squall shook his head hopelessly, waving good-bye to his son.

Riku grabbed on hold of the stirring wheel, "Alright, everyone, now preparing for lift off." Sora gagged, "Oh, shut up! And, go already!" Riku glowered, pressing his body forward to lift off.

The Gummi ship took off into the sky, leaving through the atmosphere of Radiant Garden, and entering through the dark cosmos.

Rinoa held a hand to her heart, her heart beating fast. Squall seemed to sense her discomfort, "Don't worry, Rinoa. They'll be fine, though, I'm not sure on Sora." That's when Rinoa burst out crying, putting her face into her hands.

Squall started to panic, "No, Rinoa, that's not what I meant!" Yuffie sighed behind him, "Nice work." Squall disregarded Yuffie's comment, trying to stop Rinoa from crying.

Roxas stayed in his room the whole time, waiting for any orders from Xemnas. He turned to his left, and then to his right, laying on his mess shaped bed. His body felt cold, but then hot. Sometimes he thinks he could hear Axel's voice, and even Namine's, both of them, trying to reach out for him.

Roxas tossed in his sleep, hearing a faint whisper in his head. Somehow, it sounded like Axel, "Roxas…." Roxas jumped up, with a jolt.

Roxas asked the thin air, "Hello?" It was quiet, until the whisper came again, "Roxas…." Roxas felt trepidation, getting off of his bed, looking around the room.

Roxas asked, again "Axel, is that you?" He heard the voice snicker, "So, you really do remember me? I'm flattered." Roxas felt overwhelmed, hearing from his dearly departed friend, "Axel, where are you?" Axel laughed, "Sorry, man. I can't tell you that."

Roxas looked upset, "Axel, how is it I can hear you?" Axel chuckled, "Clueless as ever I see, Roxas. I'm what you say a Nobody in the limbo, got it memorized?" Roxas quirked a brow, "So, your stuck between light and dark, is what your saying?" Axel replied, "You can say that. But, in other events, I've been chosen to play an important role."

Roxas questioned, "A role?" Axel chirped, "Yeap." Silent engulfed the room, until Axel felt like he was running out of time, "Oh, and Roxas, I almost forgot." Roxas gazed up, as if to see Axel there, "Huh?" Axel spoke, "I know your doing this for Namine, but think about it. Is this really the only way? Then again, this might be fate, set for her."

Roxas became confused, "Axel, what are you talking about?" He looked down at his hands, "True, I mean, yeah, I think this is a wrong choice, but……I don't care. This is an obligation, an objective I have to do." Axel sighed, having a hint of pain, and sorrow, "And, what was your objective, Roxas?"

Roxas searched hard for that answer, deep within his mind. Before he could come up with an answer, Axel was gone.

Roxas felt a chill in the air, and his heart. He felt hollow, and empty, his mind and dark heart hiding the truth before him. He flapped himself back on the bed, pulling his swirled spikes back with his callous hands.

Roxas released a heavy sigh, feeling awkward and confused. He muttered out, "Why am I here? What do I feel like; I'm losing my heart, my body, my soul." Roxas's eyes flashed a golden color, one that reassembled the heartless.

He groaned, holding his head in the palm of his left hand. That's when he heard a knock on the door.

He called out, trying not to sound shaken, "Who is it?" The person answered, "It's me, Minx." Roxas groaned, "Come in." Minx entered Roxas room, sensing the dark aura that surrounds it.

Minx grinned, "No wonder Superior calls you the darkest of us all." Roxas snubbed Minx's comment, feeling a bit unsteady. He got up, seeing a flash of a girl, a girl with light blonde hair, and blue mystical eyes, smiling brightly at him, and saying his name in pure delight, "Roxas…."

Roxas whispered her name, "Namine…." Minx placed her small hands on her small waist, "Namine? Who's that?" She asked, with a tinge of jealousy.

Roxas shook his head, "It's nothing. What do you want?" Minx sighed, out of aggravation, "Superior, requests for you." Roxas growled, "Superior? What makes him so high and mighty, to even be called with such a title?" Minx shrugged, "Who knows, just hurry up."

With that Minx left the room, leaving Roxas to think. Roxas held his hand to his heart, or where it's supposed to be, "Namine?" Roxas felt torn, how could he have forgotten. He was doing this for her, for his Namine.

Roxas sighed, stepping out of his room, and heading towards the Nobody court room.

In the dark, dark galaxy of stars, and worlds, a sliver hair teenager was trying to hold the urge to kill…..

In the back, everyone was awake, surprisingly, Sora was the one asleep, but one problem, he was snoring. This snoring, though, wasn't normal. It was so loud, so annoying, that Riku was about to kill Sora in his sleep.

Riku grind his teeth together, trying to ease the thought from killing Sora. Kairi placed a nervous hand on his shoulder, trying to relax him a bit.

Donald quacked out, "And I thought Goofy was bad." Goofy pouted, "Donald, that's not a very nice thing to say." Mickey nodded in agreement.

Sora sat in his chair in zigzag directions, never finding a comfortable spot for long. Still, he snored out like there was no tomorrow.

Namine seemed to ignore all this, not letting any of it bother her. The only thing, stuck in her mind, was Roxas. Namine let out an exasperated sigh, fidgeting in her seat.

She swore she could hear Roxas, calling out her name endlessly, his heart beckoning to her. Namine's eyes began to well up, but she tried to conceal it from her friends.

She looked across the endless abyss of space, its dimensions going on and on, an eternity, holding no boundary between darkness and light.

Namine started to drift to sleep, but shook the temptation away. Kairi seemed to notice, "Namine, why don't you get some sleep. You must be exhausted." Namine groaned, "I'm fine. I could handle it." Kairi sighed, agonizing over Namine's condition.

Namine looked out the window again, giggling a bit, hearing Sora mutter about 'pie' and 'candy corn.'

Riku looked back at Namine, while stirring. He felt sorry for her, most of all, he felt scared. He swore to himself, once he finds Roxas, he's going to beat him into a bloody pulp. He turned his gaze back onto the screen window, smiling as he saw Twilight Town ahead.

Riku called out to everyone in the back, "Hey, we're here." Everyone looked ahead, seeing the brilliant golden sunset lights of Twilight Town.

Namine once saw the dazzling lights of the town, seeing it for the first time when trying to meet Roxas. She laughed in her mind. Who would have thought that, with that one meeting that it would change their relationship so fast and deeper than she intended it to be?

But then, Namine frowned. This is also the town where Roxas had a happy life, though it only lasted six days. She takes half of the blame for revealing him such a truth of his existence, and cursed herself; but she couldn't help it. She wanted to see him so badly, even now.

Sora started to wake up, groggily, "Huh? Are we there yet?" Riku answered, with a reliving sigh, "Yes, we're here. Now, I won't have to hear your snoring." Sora laughed, nervously.

King Mickey informed, "Riku, land at the other side of the world. With that, we can land right away to Master Yen Sid's castle." Riku nodded, while Namine slumped. She really wanted to find this as an opportunity to see Hayner, Olette, and Pence, the friends that Roxas had made with, though virtually. Maybe, she'll have the chance.

Riku made a roundabout, stirring to the other side of Twilight Town's world. Soon, they saw Master Yen Sid's castle. Riku came to a stop, hovering above the Castle's front garden. He began to descend the Gummi ship, landing softly to the ground.

Riku pressed an opening switch, to open the cockpit glass lid, letting everyone get out. Sora landed on his feet, stretching his body from his discombobulated sleep positions. Namine gently manage to get out, Kairi jumping after. King Mickey jumped out as well, with Donald afterwards, and then Goofy, who feel on top of the duck.

Sora laughed, while Kairi and Namine giggled. Donald shoved Goofy off, quacking at him, "Watch it, you big palooka!" Goofy scratched the back of his ear, making his hat lift up a bit, "Garsh, I'm sorry Donald."

Donald sighed, hinting his quack. Riku then jumped out of the Gummi ship, landing coolly. Sora grumbled, "Show off." Riku smirked, pressing a button from a remote switch he held to lock the Gummi ship.

Namine walked forward towards the crisscross castle, astounded by its structure. She gasped, seeing three plump, but elderly cute fairies fly towards her from the entrance.

Flora, the leader, and the one dressed in red, was the first to speak, "Oh, what a pleasant surprise! Master Yen Sid expected your arrival, dears." Merryweather, the chubby blue dress fairy, was the next to converse, "Better late than never, I suppose."

Sora laughed, greeting the three sweet fairies, "Hey, Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna." King Mickey continued off, "We've come to speak with Master Yen Sid. If he knows of our arrival, lead us to him." The three fairies nodded, bringing out their wands.

Fauna, the thinner green fairy, looked at Namine, having a gentle elderly smile, "You are Namine, my dear?" Namine nodded, "Yes, I am." Fauna's smile open up more, "Master Yen Sid really wishes to meet you. He wishes to speak with you." Namine seemed stunned, wondering why Master Yen Sid wanted to speak with her.

Three fairies waved their wands high, enchanting them. Before the others knew it, they were whoosh away, vanishing within the magical glitters from the wands, appearing in Master Yen Sid's room.

Everyone was in a daze, but quickly recovered. The three fairies bowed down a bit, reporting, "Master Yen Sid, your pupil, King Mickey, and the others, have arrived." Master Yen Sid had his back turn, but turned around with a smile. His bushy, grey eyebrows rose with approval, rubbing his long grey beard with his skeleton hand.

Namine, Kairi, and Riku were amazed, meeting with such a powerful, intelligent wizard. His pointy hat covered with yellow stars, and his long blue robe, proving his title.

Yen Sid spoke with outmost wisdom, "I am glad to see you all, my friends. We have much to discuss." Everyone stood silent, pondering what to bring up first.

Roxas made it to the Nobody court hall, spotting Xemnas. He was at the center of the room, his hands behind his back.

Roxas asked, Minx still behind him, "I heard you have a mission for me. What is it?" Xemnas turned towards Roxas, smiling wickedly, "Yes, I have a task for you."

Roxas edged on, feeling a bit annoyed, "Well, what is it?" Xemnas answered, "You are to go to Twilight Town." Roxas winced, his memories in Twilight Town coming back to him.

Xemnas continued, ignoring Roxas's reaction, "When there, you are to go to a Mystical hill; where a powerful wizard resides, inside an odd shape castle." Roxas asked, not getting the clear objective, "And, what do you propose I do, when I get there?"

Xemnas chuckled, with malevolence, "Why, my dear Roxas….take his heart, of course."

Kiome-Yasha: "Xemnas that evil bastard! Whoa, I'm getting too into my story. Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter like the ones before. Ah, I must say, finally adding Master Yen Sid in the story, brings fund memories of my childhood when I watched Fantasia; great orchestral movie by the way. Well, you guys know what to do. Please leave a review, and hopefully expect the next chapter sooner. (Laughs nervously)"


	12. The lost Promise and the Upcoming Attack

Disclaimer: "I do not own anything from Kingdom Hearts, along with Kingdom Hearts 2, or COM. This is, however, my story, and I'm sticking with it as my creation of imagination."

Kiome-Yasha: "(Dodges many spears and arrows) I'm sorry!!! I know I haven't updated for AWHILE. I'm truly sorry for the long wait, everyone. I've been pretty busy with real life, and it's been a royal pain. To all you readers and reviewers, I'm deeply sorry. To make it all up, I decided to update now, before I get dragged back to the darkness, which is life. Plus, the long waited lemon I was talking about, it's up to you to read and find out, though, who gets it on."

A Promise that is Lost, and the Upcoming Attack

After explaining everything to Master Yen Sid, everyone waited for his respond towards the situation.

Yen Sid sat back into his seat, rubbing his beard, his hands shaking slightly, "This is most troublesome indeed." He opened his eyes, looking at everyone, who had very anxious looks on their faces.

Fauna whimpered, "Oh dear, what ever shall we do, Master Yen Sid?"

Yen Sid shook his head, but looked at Namine and King Mickey. He spoke, holding out his wise, yet elderly tone, "Mickey, I need to speak with you and Namine in private." Namine seemed to give a light gasp, remembering what the three fairies had mentioned of Master Yen Sid wanting to see her.

Mickey Mouse nodded, understanding his teacher with full respect, "Of course, Master." He then looked at Namine, holding out an expression that caused her to be concern for her life.

Sora's stomach started to growl, "Um, can that wait until we eat. I'm starving!" Kairi smacked Sora lightly on his shoulder, "Sora, your always hungry." He grinned, "So, what's your point? I'm still a growing boy! Look at these babies!" Sora pulled up his short sleeves, revealing his skinny, puny muscles on his arm, scrunching them up to prove his growing build.

Riku snickered, "You have got to be kidding me, those scrawny muscles? You can't even pick up ten pounds with those things." Sora glared at Riku, taking Riku's insult as an offense, "I wouldn't talk Riku. After all, I did beat you like twenty times!" Sora smirked at the fact.

Riku folded his rather fabricated arms across his chest, smirking knowingly, "That's because you had Donald and Goofy half of the time, backing you up from being beaten by me. Plus, I had Ansem controlling me at that time, so he made me seem weak."

Sora grinded his teeth together, his face red with anger, "Oh yeah! We'll see about that!" Sora was about to charge at Riku, but stopped as his stomach growled loudly.

Sora stifled a chuckle, having a gloomy look on his face, "But after we eat…"

Namine and Kairi giggled, never getting enough of Sora's silly antiques.

Yen Sid, too, chuckled, being very amused of the scene. He got up from his chair, making him seem taller than everyone, including Riku in the room.

He spoke, fixing his robes down, "Well then, shall we dine." Sora pumped a fist in the air, the mention of food getting him hyper again, "Hell yeah! Let's hurry and eat!"

The three fairies nodded, picking up their wands again. The wands came to life as all three sparkled, teleporting everyone to the dining room, multiple dishes of food already displayed on the long dining table.

Sora's eyes sparkled with glee, his mouth watering, "Oh wow, I'm going to eat the most out of all of you." Riku smiled, amused over the statement, "And, that's something to be proud of." Sora replied, "Damn straight!"

Kairi sighed, looking at Namine, only to see a sober expression coming out of her, instead of that with glee from all the food. Kairi placed a hand on Namine's shoulder, "Hey, Namine, are you alright?"

Namine looked up at Kairi, feeling unsure of herself if she was alright with all of this, "No, Kairi, I'm not. I can't just stand sitting here, not when Roxas is out there. I can't…I need to find him. Plus…"

Yen Sid silenced Namine, hoping to calm her nerves down a bit, "Now, Namine, we shall find him as soon as we are done rejuvenating our energy, with a fine meal." He lightly urged Namine forward, hoping for her to sit down.

Namine sat down, still holding an uncomfortable feature on her angelic face. Sora tried to cheer her up, food already stuffed in his mouth, "Don't worry, Namine. After we're done eating, we'll leave right away."

Namine smiled, feeling reassured from Sora's words, "Your right, Sora." Namine picked up her fork and began eating, feeling that the food didn't satisfy her still, as she still felt a sense of emptiness and loneliness in her stomach, body, and hollow heart. Something was missing to make her warm again, and that was Roxas, who she knows is trying to save her, but in the wrong direction possible.

Roxas stood in his room, going over the plan in his head. He sat down on his bed, his face in his black gloved hands. He let out a sigh; repeating what Xemnas had said over the attack he must inflict on the great wizard, Yen Sid.

Namine was there, along with Sora and the others. He didn't want to reveal himself to them; he didn't want them to know that he had returned to the Organization, a group who was, and probably, still is, making Kingdom Hearts in their own image for Nobodies.

He could hear Sora now, lecturing him over his actions, "You idiot! You think this is going to make Namine any better! Look at yourself, Roxas! You're turning into a murderer, a monster! You're falling right into their trap!" And him, replying back, "All for Namine's sake! You don't understand, Sora! This is the only option I have, if not, Namine would disappear forever!"

Namine, her face flashed right before his eyes. But, it wasn't her usual smile that she always gave him, it was one of pure lost and despair, and yet so angelic.

Roxas started to weep. He misses Namine, but he couldn't return to her, not without a solution to stop her from completely vanishing from him. He couldn't bare the thought of her fading away from his life forever. He would be crushed, and not only that, but a true seeker of darkness, never to see the light that she showed him again.

A whisper came to Roxas, a whisper from a voice he remembered all too well.

Roxas poked his indigo eyes out from his hands, speaking out below a whisper, "Axel?" Axel's voice rang in Roxas's ears, "So, Roxas, you really going to go along with the plan?" Roxas was silent for a moment, before answering, "Yes."

Axel shook his head, "You still don't get it. Roxas, you have to stop this, this isn't the answer for saving Namine's life. Take it from somebody, or rather, a Nobody who's in the limbo."

Roxas got up from his bed, so fast, that he sprained his body, but he ignored it. Roxas glared up at his ceiling, expecting to see Axel there, or something.

Roxas clenched his fists, "So, tell me, Axel! What is it that I need to do, in order to save Namine!? Huh!? You tell me!" Axel only gave sympathy towards his friend, shaking his head slowly, "Sorry, Roxas. I can't tell you that, I can only go so far in helping you see the light that Namine showed you to believe in."

Roxas slashed out his keyblades, ready to strike something to ease his frustration over Axel's words.

Axel chipped in an advice, "That won't help, Roxas. Your letting your anger and frustration consume your heart and being, and sadly, you don't even know that. Remember how it felt, to hold Namine, telling her you love her, and that you swore to protect her with your life, that she made you feel like somebody for her. Come on, you must have memorized that in that thick skull of yours. And, what about Sora, the Keyblade master, and the friends you made, surely they made you feel like you belonged?"

Roxas sighed, withdrawing his keyblades, his shoulders slumping lowly, "But, it's not about my existence, Axel. It's about Namine's." Axel stood quiet, "I know, but losing yourself of who you are, we'll not help Namine."

Feeling confused with all these twist of words Axel keeps throwing out at him to remember, Roxas spoke, "Axel?"

But no sly reply was returned, only silence.

Larxene thought Roxas was losing it. She was standing on the other side of his door, hearing him 'supposedly' talking to Axel. She stiffened each time Roxas said Axel's name, remembering the red headed Organization member fresh in her mind.

She never told anyone about her and Axel's so called 'relationship'. After all, they are Nobodies; rather, he once WAS a Nobody.

Larxene held back tears, never believing in the fact that Axel was really gone. She clenched her fists, muttering words of distaste, "Stupid, ignorant, bastard. Why? Why did you have to go and use all your strength like that? You're such a fool. How are you going to fulfill your promise to me now, Axel?"

Larxene sniffed the upcoming tears, refusing to let them slip pass her, considering her cold exterior personality.

Larxene soon began remembering the day Axel made her their promise.

(Author's note: This scene has been deleted considering the very graphic lemon. If you want to read this deleted scene, check it out at my homepage where it is separated from this fic.)

Larxene shook out of her gaze, blushing tremendously from the memory. She sighed, though, remembering the promise Axel swore not to break to her.

She then realized that somebody was in front of her. Looking up to see who it was, she remembered that she was in front of Roxas's room, and found to see him staring at her with bewilderment.

She scuffed, her cheeks puffing cutely, "Roxas, you lamebrain, what are you doing staring at me like I'm crazy."

Roxas smiled slightly, "It's nothing, Larxene." He stood silent for a few seconds, before speaking up again, "I'm about to leave on my assignment. So, I'll see you later."

Larxene looked at him with a little sympathy, "Right, it's that time already."

Roxas began walking past her, but stopped as he said, "Larxene…?" She turned around, wondering what was wrong, "Yeah?"

Roxas shook his head, and kept walking, "Nothing, forget it."

She ignored on what he was about to say, and began walking back to her room. She cursed under her breath, though, feeling a good amount of wetness in her lower region.

Roxas met up with Minx, and the other new members in the Organization, along with Xemnas.

Xemnas spoke with a smirk, "Are you ready, Roxas?" Roxas replied coldly, "Let's just get this over with."

Xemnas chuckled, "Indeed."

He opened a dark portal, "This will automatically take you to the Wizard's domain. Minx, Linux, Hexer, and Marxeus will be accompanying you. I think they would serve as good playmates with the Keyblade Master, and his friends."

Roxas gave a cruel demanding look to all of them, "Whatever you do, you better not kill, or hurt Namine."

Minx grinned, with a Cheshire smile, "Fine, and the others?"

Roxas began heading towards the empty portal, "Do with them as you like."

Kiome-Yasha: "Yeah, this chapter was basically Axel and Larxene centric, along with the long lemon. Next chapter, though, will be all action. I hope you all are satisfied with this chapter. I pray to update the next chapter soon, but now, I must update my FF7 fic. I hope to hear promising reviews, hoping you guys haven't given up on me."


	13. The Attack and a Death of a Wizard

Declaimer: "I do not own KH. I'm living through a nightmare each time I say that."

Kiome-Yasha: "I enjoyed the many reviews I got in my last chapter, seeing many satisfied with it, including the lemon. I'm sorry for leaving Sora and Kairi out for having an intimate lemon scene. The reason it hasn't occurred yet is because as fond of Sora and Kairi as a couple I am, I don't really support them or care about them. But, if it will make you guys happy, I'll see what I can cook up. Not in this chapter though, maybe later on. FYI, I'm SO sorry for the long update. Life is pretty a mess, and I'm trying to find time in getting this story typed up and updated. I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate your support in this fic, it really means a lot to me; so, that is why….I can't give up on it. I will always try to find time in updating, remember that. I love this fic as much as you all do, that is why I need to finish it for my own sake as well."

Chapter 13 The Attack and Death of a Wizard

Namine finished eating a long time ago. She soon left the others to themselves, all of them still eating the delicious food that was served by Yen Sid.

She walked through the lopsided tower, looking out through the hall windows, seeing the bizarre nature of large stars and round hills.

She gave a light sigh, looking down at her hands. They weren't transparent, but she could feel them getting lighter. She didn't understand why she was feeling this affect when Roxas didn't. What was causing her to experience this phenomenon?

She gave a light chuckle, "What destiny do I have? I'm nothing more than a Nobody."

"That's where you're wrong, my dear."

Startled by the voice's intrusion from the silence that was kept in the hall, Namine turned around to see Yen Sid, who was smiling contently at her. She also took notice that King Mickey was behind his tall exterior.

Yen Sid walked closer to Namine, "Namine, do you know what power you hold?" She nodded, "I have a good sense." She looked up to the open windows of the hall, taking notice of the strange scenery once again, "Though, I have no clue why I was bestowed with such power, or how I'm supposed to use it."

Yen Sid nodded, Mickey speaking up, "Namine, Ansem has come to believe that your birth was special, but not only him, but the Organization as well; which explains why they had taken upon themselves for putting your powers to good use." She looked down at King Mickey, holding a timid expression, not wanting to remember how she was used because of her powers.

Yen Sid spoke, "Namine, you have more power than you realize. For that, a destiny has been set for you, a destiny I fear that the leader of the Organization knows about."

Namine was taken back from the information, asking with curiosity, "My destiny? But, I'm nothing more than a Nobody. What destiny could be waiting for me? What is it I'm purpose to do?" Yen Sid shook his head, "I'm sorry, my dear. But I have yet to come with an answer to that. But, I am investigating as we speak. Namine, you are a special person, your birth was not a coincidence. You hold greater power more than you think."

Fear was taking place in Namine's mind, hearing such a thing as fate and destiny for her was something she didn't expect to be in her future.

Mickey walked up to Namine, grabbing her hand to sooth her discomfort, "Don't worry, Namine. I'm sure we'll all figure it out in due time, and get Roxas back." She nodded, smiling slightly from King Mickey's words.

Yen Sid grimed, "The only problem is that the leader of the Organization knows of your fate, and I fear he is planning to use that knowledge to an extent of completing his evil plans." Mickey gave a stern look, "We won't let that happen, master. We will protect Namine."

Just then, Sora appeared, holding a satisfied look and rubbing his tummy, "Man that was good." He then took notice of Namine, Yen Sid, and King Mickey, "Oh, hey guys!" He gave a small wave, "So, what are we talking about?"

Namine shook her head, not wanting him to be worried, "It's nothing, Sora." She then began to leave, taking the exit that was behind Sora, "It's nothing of importance." Sora followed after her, but paused and looked back at Yen Sid and King Mickey.

Yen Sid spoke, "Keyblade master, watch over that young one. She is of need of your protection." Mickey nodded, "Agreed, Sora you must not let Namine out of your sight. As a Keyblade warrior, it's your duty."

Sora was a little confused, but shook it off and gave a cocky smile, "Don't worry, I will. Namine is like a little sister that I have to protect." With that, he followed after Namine.

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Roxas appeared through the dark portal, opening it up behind Yen Sid's tower. Minx soon followed after, along with the other new Nobodies.

Minx asked, placing her fists to her small waist, "So, what's the plan on killing the geezer and taking his heart?" Roxas was silent for a second, thinking about the plan, before giving the pink hair girl an answer, "I'm planning to let my samurai Nobodies in first, giving everyone an ambush. After that, Minx, I want you to let your archer Nobodies attack from above. That way, it would serve as a surprise aerial attack."

Minx grinned, "I like the sound of that. What about you, Hexer?" He chuckled, "Sounds like a plan to me, sis." Marxeus nodded, showing that he agreed, while Linux gave a seductive grin.

Roxas nodded, lifting up his black gloved hand, letting it fall with a swipe, bringing the samurai Nobodies out into the tower.

He whispered, "Don't go anywhere near Namine, she stays safe." Minx groaned, "Fine Romeo." She stood silent before speaking again, "What of the others inside?"

Roxas pulled his hood over his head, one if his eyes beginning to glow an eerie gold color, "Dispose of them if anything goes wrong."

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Sora walked beside Namine, noticing the gloomy look she held. He tried to cheer her up, "Want to hear something funny, Namine?" She only nodded slightly, not really paying attention.

Sora began his funny tale, "When Donald, Goody, and I were at Tarzan's world. There was this girl gorilla; I believe her name was Turk, and she fell in love with Dona…" He was cut off from a frightful gasp from Namine.

He turned his gaze to what had caused her to gasp in shock, not believing to see Nobodies there.

He recognized the Nobodies right away, 'Those are the samurai Nobodies. Doesn't Roxas control them?' Not thinking about the issue any longer, Sora pulled out his Keyblade, preparing for a fight.

He gave a shout to Namine, "Namine stay behind me!" She did just that, fearing on what she could do to help.

Sora's brain was rolling quickly, trying to think on how he could fight, while trying to protect Namine, "Dammit, I need some help. There are just too many of them for me to actually fight on my own."

He growled as the samurai Nobodies began their charge at them.

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Riku and the others had their own problems. The Nobodies appeared out of nowhere, startling all of them. Riku pulled his 'Way to the Dawn' Keyblade right away, striking down the Nobodies that have gotten on the dining table.

Kairi got behind Riku, while Donald and Goofy protected the fairies, casting spells and combos together.

Riku whispered at Kairi, "Kairi, remember that Keyblade I gave you? It's called the 'Princess Harp', I need you to find it in your heart to draw it out and defend yourself." She nodded, finding it in her heart to pull out the gold flower Keyblade. She gave a gasp as she felt a light shot out from her heart all the way through her arm and hand, drawing out the Keyblade that was known to be called the 'Princess Harp'.

She gave a triumph smile, settling herself into a battle stance. She began to fight back to back with Riku, defeating the samurai Nobodies with ease. Donald and Goofy were attacking in sink as well, performing tactics in vanquishing the approaching Nobodies that seem to keep coming back.

Donald shouted out, seeing new form of archer Nobodies appear above Kairi and Riku, "Riku, Kairi, watch out!"

Riku looked up, seeing the archer Nobodies pull back their bow and arrows and ready to strike. Donald cast thundaga at the archer Nobodies, whose little wings gave them ability to fly. They were destroyed easily, but more appeared afterwards. Riku grinded his teeth together, casting 'dark shield' on Kairi and himself, protecting them from the approaching blows of arrows.

Riku grabbed Kairi's hand, seeing that they needed to escape from the rising numbers of Nobodies, "We need to get out of here. There are too many of them." Everyone followed after Riku to the exit, the Nobodies following close behind.

They were almost there, but that was until a black smoke appeared before them, opening up to be a portal. Riku took defense, preparing to unleash all his strength, seeing that there was no way they could survive another wave of Nobodies.

He gathered up his entire dark aura, ready to strike down on the foes. Soon, Linux and Marxeus stepped out of the dimension. Linux held an evil grin, while Marxeus held a sullen expression, both of their weapons in their grip to attack.

Riku shouted, "Who are you?" He then took notice of their clothing, matching those to the Organization, "So, the Organization XIII really is back. And you must be the new members." Linux chuckled, "That's correct, handsome. But, unlike the others before us, we won't be so easy to defeat."

Riku charged, jumping up into the air, ready to strike above Linux with his Keyblade, "We'll see about that." Just as he was about to strike, Marxeus took it upon himself to defend Linux, bringing his large axe to collide with Riku's 'Way to the Dawn', causing a large spark from the blades.

That spark, though, was all it took to push Riku back, making him fall back onto the ground. Kairi ran to his side right away, "Riku! Are you alright?" Riku gave a small cough, dusting himself off as he got up from the floor.

Riku thought to himself, feeling the large amount of dark aura that was resonating out of Linux and Marxeus like a torch of fire, 'Their dark auras are strong, probably even stronger than mines.' He looked back at Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and the three cowering fairies, 'I have no choice. I'm going to have to take them out on my own. I can't put the others in danger, not again.'

Riku took a firm grip on his Keyblade, turning away from the others and looking straight at Marxeus and Linux, preparing himself for a dark battle. He spoke in a low tone, "Everyone, get out of here. I'll handle this. You guys just focus on finding Sora and the others." Kairi turned to Riku in fear, "Riku, no! We can't just leave you here! You can't fight them on your own!" Riku gave a stern glare at Kairi, "No, it's too dangerous for you guys to stay here and fight. You guys have to find Sora and Namine, I bet their in more trouble than we are right now." He turned to Donald and Goofy, "Donald, Goofy, take Kairi out of here as well as the fairies."

Donald and Goofy nodded, pulling Kairi with them, the three fairies flying over them to escape. Kairi turned back at Riku, making sure he'll be okay. He only nodded in response, while Kairi did the same in return.

Linux took notice of Riku's heroism, "Trying to play the hero, are we? Letting your friends escape unharmed while my partner and I destroy you? Foolish boy, doing that would be your downfall in this battle." Linux began to power up her whip, an ominous black smoke rising out from underneath her.

Riku took guard, Kairi shouting out as they all escape without him, "Riku!" He shouted back, "GO!" Marxeus went to attack Kairi and the others before they fled, but Riku countered his vast axe with his Keyblade, before he could even make the blow, "Your fight is with me."

Riku threw Marxeus back from the strength of his Keyblade, turning around to make sure the others escaped. When he saw them no longer there, he turned back to Marxeus and Linux, a dark shadow overlapping the room, causing sparks to fly.

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Mickey Mouse was defending his master with all he had. He cast magic of higher power, magic that was taught by his master, while dodging blows from the coming numbers of Nobodies. Yen Sid fended off most of the Nobodies, calling the forces of the cosmos to vanquish them.

They both tried to defend themselves while searching for the others. Mickey Mouse ran down the hall, protecting his master every step of the way.

They were halted, though, when all the Nobodies stop their attacks, causing them to be confused and suspicious.

King Mickey scouted around them, trying to see what had caused the Nobodies to stop their assault upon them. Yen Sid turned towards his left, feeling a foreboding energy of darkness, and yet, light.

Mickey turned towards the left, also feeling the presence's force, sending it like waves that brushed through him. The figure stepped out, wearing an Organization coat, his gold eyes piercing through the darkness of the hood.

Before Mickey could make a move or a response, a black beam of power was shot through the yellow eye member's gloved hand. The force hit his small form, knocking him over the wall, making him unconscious in an instant.

Yen Sid was heading to aid his pupil, but was stopped by a spell of thunder hitting the ground, causing a sizzling sound and smoke to appear on the ground. He turned to the attacker, holding a grim look.

The hooded figure spoke, holding a tone of someone who was possessed by the darkness, but a hint of his usual voice, "Don't even think about it old man." The figure then sliced out two Keyblades out of thin air, one in each of his hands. If they could, both of his golden eyes glowed brighter.

Yen Sid spoke, preparing to defend himself, "May you be perhaps Roxas?" The hooded man chuckled, "So, you really are wise. I kind of figured you would figure it out. Nothing personal, Wizard, but I must do this. I must take your heart….. for Namine."

Yen Sid tried to speak, "Roxas, what you're doing is…" He was cut short as Roxas took a demon speed charge at him, his Keyblades ready to strike the wizard's heart out.

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Namine shouted, pointing above them to show a group of flying archer Nobodies, "SORA, ABOVE YOU!!!"

Sora grunted, as he rotated himself into casting thundaga on the flying archers. After he took care of them, he twirled himself around to blow firaga to the samurai Nobodies.

It was clear in the hall, but more was expected to come. Sora collapsed on the ground, bracing with one knee, his face was covered in sweat from the use of his adrenaline, draining him completely. Namine ran to Sora's side, placing both delicate hands on his shoulders, "Sora, are you alright?" She stopped and thought of her question, shaking her head, "Of course not, you've been fighting too long on your own. You need help."

Just then, the new swarm of Nobodies appeared once again. Sora groaned, picking himself up with his Keyblade, Namine helping him steady himself.

He grinned at Namine, his eyes squinting a bit from his fatigue, "I'm fine, Namine. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to have to do Roxas's job in making sure you're safe, considering he's not here at the moment."

Namine was overwhelmed from Sora's concern for her, remembering the time when she first met him. She had mixed his memories, making him believe she was the girl he loved. And, to be honest, she wanted him to love her, and only her, but that was because she was desperate to have a savior of her own. She wanted someone to help her escape from her white prison that was camouflaged from the darkness, it could have been anyone, and Sora just happened to have been there at the time. But, when she had met Roxas, all of that had changed. With him, she discovered what love truly was. Even if they were Nobodies, they somehow found love to exist between them. She always was grateful to Sora for showing her the true meaning of that feeling.

Namine shook off those false emotions she once had for Sora, smiling at him, "Thank you, Sora. You're a true friend, but I want to help you." Somehow, a white comforting glow began to rise out of Namine. It startled Sora, his body bathing in the warmth of Namine's light.

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Roxas froze, feeling the warmth of a certain Nobody's, her light comforting him. Yen Sid also seemed to notice the sudden blanket of soothing radiance, realizing who it belong to.

He whispered, "This warmth." Roxas turned quickly towards the wizard, completely forgetting he was there.

Yen Sid continued, "So, she has awakened earlier than expected." Roxas growled, not understanding the words that were falling like wisdom out of the ancient wizard's mouth, "What did you say? Make sense old man!"

Roxas charged once again at Yen Sid, his Keyblades being overpowered by mist from the darkness. Yen Sid blocked the two Keyblades, creating his own force field.

Roxas jumped back, chortling with amusement, "I see you have some fight in you. This could be interesting, let's just hope you put up a better fight than your student over there." Roxas shrugged over at King Mickey, who was still out cold from the blast he received from Roxas.

Yen Sid took a stance, calling forth spells he never even taught Mickey in silence. Roxas attacked once more at the magician, aiming for victory and a heart.

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Kairi and the others felt the warming light spread pass them, enlightening them with a soft comfort. Just then, they spotted Sora and Namine, Namine collapsing on top of Sora.

Kairi ran to them, calling out, "Sora, Namine!" Sora picked up Kairi's voice, turning around towards her and the others. He was in shock that his body was fully rejuvenated, feeling up to fight again.

When Kairi skidded down the floor to check their condition, she began to panic when Namine was unconscious. She picked up Namine, shaking her gently, "Namine! Wake up!" But she didn't stir. She only breathed lightly, like she was asleep, drips of sweat slipping down her face. Kairi gave out a sigh, seeing that Namine was just exhausted, wiping off some of the sweat off her face.

The three fairies, Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna gasped, taking out their wands. They called up a spell silently to their wands, relaxing Namine nerves, so her mind would ease from her fatigue.

Donald asked, feeling pure concern for the Nobody girl, "What happened?" Sora began to answer, but wasn't too sure himself, "Namine and I were surrounded by Nobodies. I was…I was getting tired…and Namine wanted to help….then…that's when that light appeared out of Namine." The others were confused, not knowing what to make out of this.

Goofy spoke, itching his head, making his hat move slightly up, "Well, it seems like she's ok. We'll just have to wait until she wakes up, then we can make up what happened from Namine's view." Donald nodded, "Good thinking, Goofy."

Kairi nodded as well, looking down at Namine, "Well, it looks like she won't be up for awhile. I guess we're going to have to wait awhile before she comes out of it."

Sora was silent for a moment, still questioning about the surge of light that released out of Namine, when he noticed Riku wasn't around.

He spoke, lifting his hands up to make a point, "Where's Riku? Wasn't he with you guys?" Flora gasped, "Oh, the boy!" Kairi followed after, remembering the fact that Riku was in danger, "I almost forgot! Sora, Riku is in trouble! He helped us escape from the Nobodies, but soon after, two new members from the Organization appeared. Riku said he could fend them off on his own while we escape, but the two members looked WAY stronger than any members you fought before. We have to go back and help him!"

Sora was in deep thought, before replying his other worries, "Yeah, but, we also need to find King Mickey and Master Yen Sid. They might be in trouble."

Everyone stood silent, their minds in distress over the situation they were in.

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Riku cast 'dark shield' around him each time Linux lashed her whip at him. His power gauge was getting low, his dark magic taking a lot out of him. Marxeus took this chance to hide in the shadows, waiting for an opening to appear and strike Riku.

Linux chuckled evilly, putting her hand under her chin as she let it out mockingly, "Stop trying to protect yourself, little boy. There is no use in blocking me. Just take your whopping like a good little boy, and maybe, I'll be gentle." Riku cringed from Linux words, not really liking what she was presuming to do with him.

He shouted, "I don't know what you're talking about, lady. But, there is no way I'm going to be your little toy!" Linux grinned, "Awww, but then, where's the fun in that? And, by the way, my name is Linux. Not lady." Riku gave a short snigger, "Oh? I was assuming your name was hag."

Linux grinded her teeth, shouting, "You'll regret insulting me like that!" She gathered the darkness that surrounded them, her whip gathering the energy like a lighting rod. She pulled back her whip, making a nice 'swoosh' sound, before reeling it forward at Riku. Riku was prepared, defending himself in a crouch position.

Marxeus, though, distracted Riku from blocking the blow, sending his axe to hit his open shoulder. Riku yelled out in pain as he felt the sharp edge of the blade hit his shoulder, a splash of warm blood spilling on top of the blade and onto Riku's opened gash. Then the whip came, striking him right in the face, opening up a large cut to appear above his right eye. The blood slinked out, causing Riku to close his right eye from being covered from the dripping blood, making him blind to use one eye in the fight.

Riku chuckled, trying not to collapse from the lost of blood, "Is that all you two got?" He called up his dark powers, pushing Marxeus and his large axe off his shoulder, sending them across the room from the devastating aura that surrounded his body. Linux snickered, her ember eyes glowing with evil delight, "I'm not the one who's bloodied up, kid."

Riku groaned, picking himself up, getting ready for another round. One more wave of an attack from them, and he might not come out of this alive.

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"Alright, we need to split up!!!"

Everyone looked at Sora, who shouted with a sweat drop covering his temple humorously. Donald asked, "So, how do we settle that, Sora?"

Sora's lips squirmed, thinking it out, while still posing his arm and finger upward. Kairi looked skeptical, wondering if they should really count on him to make a decision.

Sora sat down, crossing his legs Indian style, while crossing his arms across his chest, his eyes closed in deep thought. Everyone stood quiet, getting anxious and itching to shake Sora to tell them his plan.

Sora opened his eyes, placing his right fist hand against the palm of his left, finally coming with an answer, "Okay, this is what we'll do. Merryweather, Fauna, Flora, you take Namine and get her out of here. We have to take refuge somewhere; go to Twilight Town, and we'll meet you there." They nodded, putting a floating spell on Namine, making her float while she lay down on sparkling yellow stars.

Flora spoke, "Don't worry, Sora. We'll take care of Namine. But, promise you all we'll come back safely." Sora nodded, placing his Keyblade behind his back, giving his trademark grin and a thumb up, "You bet."

They took off through the window, Namine floating after them, heading towards the train tracks to Twilight Town.

Sora turned back to the others, a determine look on his young face, "Okay, here's what we'll do. Kairi and Goofy, you go look for Master Yen Sid and King Mickey." Sora looked at Donald, who was prepared for the next order, "Donald, you and I are going back to help Riku."

They all nodded, each drawing out their weapons, knowing they will encounter Nobodies in their paths. Sora and Donald was about to take off, but Kairi stopped them. Sora turned towards her, and didn't even get a chance to blink as her warm, pink lips, crashed onto his.

Goofy and Donald chuckled as Sora's face was red as a cherry. Kairi released him, holding a concern smile, "Be careful, okay?" He nodded, his blush decreasing, but only slightly, "Yeah, you too."

With that, the four of them took off towards their paths.

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Yen Sid was thrown against the wall, grunting in pain from the blows Roxas kept throwing at him.

Roxas chuckled, his eyes glowing brighter with pride, "What's the matter? Is this truly the power of the great wizard known as Yen Sid?"

Yen Sid stood up, holding the wall behind him with his long aged hands for support. Not letting the pain faze him, he spoke, "You have too much confident, young one. The young should respect their elders." Roxas growled, "Feh, spare me the lecture." He drew one of his Keyblades forward like a boomerang, hoping to cut through the sorcerer's defenses, but it proved futile. Yen Sid called up more of his star power magic, blocking the Keyblade, knocking it back at Roxas.

Roxas leaped up into the air, catching the Keyblade with ease, minus the fact that it was swirling uncontrollably. But, as soon as he caught it, he was thrown off from a comet spell coming towards him. He was shock over the approach, but managed to dodge the attack, though barely. The spell skinned through his suit, making a gash appear.

Sweat poured down Roxas's face, the heat of the battle getting intense, including the fact that he now received a light gash from a powerful enchantment spell from Yen Sid. He stood up straight, acting like the slight burn on his side didn't bother him at all. Roxas spoke smugly, "So, still got some fight in you I see? Not bad."

Yen Sid began to pick himself up, smoke rose out of his right hand, signaling the hint of the magic he just cast. He smirked, "You haven't seen nothing yet, my boy."

Soon, Yen Sid began to float off the ground, sparks of fireworks surrounding his hands. Roxas took position to whatever the wizard was planning, "Well, this should be interesting."

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Sora and Donald defended themselves each step they took into getting to Riku, trying not to use up all of their energy.

Sora groaned, "Dammit! Just how many Nobodies are there!?" Donald ignored Sora's frustration, casting light spells at Nobodies that got in their way, enough to get them distracted into getting through.

They soon spotted darkness covering all over the walls to the room that Kairi and the others were in.

Sora sliced down another Nobody, soon spotting Riku, who was bloodied up and crouching down on the floor in pain.

Sora gasped out in worry, "Riku!" He and Donald then took off towards the entrance of the room, preparing for an upcoming fight.

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Linux walked up to Riku slowly, swinging her whip around her slender glove hand. She knelt down to his face, giving a slight lick on his bloodied up temple with her tongue. Riku cringed from the slimy touch, trying to defend himself, but found that he was too weak. Soon, his eyes began to blur, signaling that he was about to pass out.

Linux stood up straight again, grinning manically, "So, any last words before we take your heart and body into the darkness?"

"Yeah, I do!!!"

Linux turned around in shock, seeing a sliver light that came from the Keyblade Sora held, charging down at her from above. She didn't have a chance to block the blow, as it hit her hand, making her drop her whip. Finding the adrenaline and distraction he needed, Riku knocked Linux to the ground with his leg, causing a low kick.

Linux gasped as she hit the ground, moaning in pain. Riku looked up at Sora, not wanting to show he was weak with a smirk, "What took you so long?" Sora smirked right back, "Sorry, hit some traffic on the way." Just then a huge axe appeared behind Sora, ready to hit his oblivious mind to the attack.

Donald shouted, "Sora!!!" He cast magnet to draw Marxeus away from Sora, giving him a big doze of his blizzaga spell as he drew him to him.

Marxeus was thrown back from the chilling spell, his axe turning into ice. Linux stood up, growling lowly in frustration.

Sora pointed his Keyblade at Linux's face, showing a look of justice, "So, any last words?" Soon, a pink arrow hit Sora's 'Ultimate Weapon' Keyblade out his hand. The three of them gasped, except Linux and Marxeus who knew where the arrow came from.

All of them looked up into the air, spotting the Nobody known as Minx floating in midair, preparing to draw another arrow at Sora and his friends.

Minx closed an eye tightly as she took care in focusing on her targets, "Name's Minx, the 'Gazing Straight Arrow' from Organization XIII, nice to meet ya!"

Linux brushed herself off, showing no sign of pain from her fall, "You're late, Minx. What took you?" Minx chuckled, still holding aim, "I wanted to see how pathetic you guys are without me." Linux glared at the girl, "Little brat."

Marxeus merely shook off his axe from the frostbite it took from Donald's blizzaga, breaking the ice free from his weapon. Minx made sure to keep her aim at Sora and the others, making sure they didn't move. She spoke to Linux and Marxeus, "Anyway, sorry to break the party, but hothead is almost done in closing in on the wizard."

Sora gasped, "What are you talking about!?" He and the others knew she was referring to Yen Sid. Minx giggled bubbly, but with wickedness, "Exactly what I'm talking about, hero. Your dear wizard's heart is ours. Our buddy is taking care of him as we speak." Everything stood silent between the heroes, not knowing how to react. They wanted to run out of the room and try to prevent what was about to happen to the powerful warlock, but feared that it may be already be too late.

Linux gave a light chuckle, "Then I guess there's no point in staying here any longer." She turned to Marxeus, her arms crossed over her breasts, "Marxeus, open a portal so we can go." He obeyed silently, opening up a portal for him and Linux, Minx creating her own.

He entered the portal without a word, Linux following after. She turned to Riku and the others, "We'll meet again, eventually. Until then, try to heal those bruises we gave you, handsome." She eyed Riku teasingly, entering through the portal, which vanished out of thin air.

Minx giggled playfully, about to enter her own escape, "Nah, nah, nah nah, nah! See you suckers later!" She vanished into the dark portal, sucking up the darkness that covered the room after it. Sora shouted after her, "Wait, Stop!!!" But, it was too late, they were already gone.

Riku tried to stand up, holding onto his severe injury on his shoulder, "We can't worry about them now. Whoever this other Nobody is inside the tower is about to take Master Yen Sid's heart." Riku winced slightly from the stinging pain he had above his right eye, halting his speech for a moment, "We need to hurry and save him Sora!"

Sora nodded, "Right! Let's go!"

Sora and Donald aided Riku when running out of the room, trying to find Yen Sid and the others as soon as possible.

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Kairi and Goofy ran as fast as they could through the halls, dodging and tackling down any Nobodies that came in front of them. Kairi called out as they made a rear turn in the hall, "Master Yen Sid! You're Majesty! Where are you!?"

Goofy shouted, "Kairi, look out!" He did his 'Goofy Tornado' on three Nobodies that were about to ambush her, knocking them away. Kairi smiled, "Thanks, Goofy!"

They kept running, protecting each other along the way from getting ambushed by Nobodies.

Soon, they spotted Yen Sid, and a hooded person. Kairi gasped, drawing out her Keyblade to fight, "A Organization member!" Goofy stopped and pointed at the unconscious King Mickey, "Look! His majesty is hurt!"

They both picked up their feet, shouting out, "Master Yen Sid! King Mickey!"

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Roxas and Yen Sid continued to fight it out, the battle bumping heads in an equal match. Yen Sid was impressed, "For someone who has given himself to the darkness, your empty space of a heart burns brighter than any other non-Nobody I ever seen. You must truly fight for the one you love, but, such distinctions you take in saving her will make you lose your path, young one." Roxas ignored the warlock's words, not letting it get to him in the fight.

He blocked out more of Yen Sid's summoning magic of the galaxies, performing skills of speed that was unimaginable with his Keyblades. Yen Sid must admit, he may not win this fight, not even his magic of ancient text can defend him now.

Just then, they both heard a shout, "Master Yen Sid! King Mickey!"

Roxas turned to the voices' the shout came from, giving a light gasp as he discovered it to belong to Kairi and Goofy.

Yen Sid became wry of their presence, the both of them getting in front of him, protecting him from the Organization member, whose identity still wasn't revealed to them.

He spoke, becoming cautious for their safety in the battle, "No, you must not fight him. He is too strong for you to engage in battle with." Kairi became death ears to Yen Sid's warnings, noticing the two Keyblades that was attach to the member's dark hands.

She whispered out, not catching her misgiving, "Ro…Roxas? Is…is that you?" The member drew away his Keyblades, giving out a discomforting sigh, "I was hoping to avoid this." He lifted his hood back, his once dark, ocean blue eyes, burning a sinister gold.

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Sora kept calling out silently, "Kairi, Kairi, Kairi…." Riku tried to console him, before the boy had a heart-attack in their rush, "Sora, calm down. I'm sure Kairi's fine. She holds a Keyblade now, after all." Sora countered back from his 'concern' friend, "Yeah, but…she doesn't know how to use it!"

Riku closed his eyes in frustration, "Come on, Sora. Have a little more faith in _your_ princess than that! She has a strong heart you know." Sora was quiet, knowing Riku was right, blushing from the '_your_ princess' comment.

Riku picked up the pace, despite his injuries, "Come on. I think we might be catching up to the last hall."

He turned out to be right, seeing as they made a turn to the last hall, spotting number of figures ahead of them.

Donald quacked out in a gasp, noticing the cloaked member from Organization XIII, "Isn't that…Roxas?"

Riku and Sora were stunned to see that Donald was right. They ran faster towards the figures, not knowing what was going on, but planning on finding out.

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Roxas just kept his gaze on Kairi and the others, starting to bend his knees as if ready to attack, "Move out of the way. It's not you guys I'm after." Kairi took a glance at Yen Sid then back at Roxas.

She pulled her Keyblade in front of her, ready to defend any attacks Roxas was plotting, "I can't do that, Roxas. Whatever you're doing, please stop this."

Roxas ignored her pleas, pulling his two Keyblades back out, "Sorry, Kairi." She begged, "Think of what you're doing! Namine would be ashamed of what you're about to commit." Again, he blew her words pass his ears, giving only a slight shutter from the mention of Namine's name.

He looked up at Kairi and Donald, taking his gaze to the wizard behind them, "There's no chance of me going back now. I already made up my mind." Kairi faltered her stance, holding sympathy for Roxas, knowing he was taken by the darkness's superiority.

Roxas charged without warning, his aim to knock down Kairi and get to Yen Sid. Kairi stood frozen from the approaching Keyblade, not expecting the assault at all from Roxas's speed. She knew she wasn't fast enough to counter his attack, and so, she panicked.

She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the blow to strike through her, but all she heard was a 'clank' between metals, a loud 'clank'. She looked up to see Sora right in front of her, his Keyblade pushing Roxas's right back. He threw him back, making him brace himself.

Sora spoke, threatening Roxas, "If you ever get close, or touch Kairi like that ever again, YOU'RE the one who would be dealt with, Roxas." Roxas smirked, "Not bad, Sora. But, this ends now. I will take that wizard's heart!" Roxas came after Sora, who shouted to Kairi, "Get away, Kairi!"

Kairi ran to the side, aiding Mickey who was still knocked out. Sora, Riku, and the others attacked Roxas all at once, hoping to bring him down with all of their powers combined. The speed of the battle was terrifying, everyone attacking Roxas left from right, bottom to top, never getting a decent hit on him.

Roxas blocked Riku's and Sora's upcoming Keyblades at the same time with his own two. He kicked Sora in the gut, making him fall back, while taking his one free Keyblade to swing around at Riku's already bad shoulder. Riku grabbed his shoulder, grinding in pain. That's when Donald and Goofy took the chance in attacking Roxas, Sora telling them to use all they got.

Donald commanded his magic, performing 'Flare Force', which did some damage in distracting Roxas, Goofy attacking with his bash attack, knocking some sense into Roxas. Sora came back with a comeback as he took this chance in attacking Roxas from behind, while he tried to shake off the blows he got from Donald and Goofy.

Roxas, though, caught on to their little display of effort, countering Sora's Keyblade once again. Sora was shock from Roxas's maneuvering in battle, but shook it off as he tried to push his Keyblade down on his. Roxas snickered, seeing as Sora forgot his other Keyblade, Oblivion, taking a swing with it to hit Sora's legs. Sora caught the approaching dark Keyblade, jumping up and kicking Roxas in the chest, performing a somersault backwards when he did.

Roxas coughed up a little from the tactic kick, the wind knocked out of him. Riku shot out a beam of dark force at Roxas, Roxas opposing it back with his own. They were tied up until Goofy provided a punch at Roxas with his 'Save the King' shield. With that effect, Riku was able to overpower Roxas's dark ray, making him crash right into the wall behind him.

Roxas grunted in pain, malice burning into his yellow moonlight eyes, "I've had enough of this!" Roxas disappeared out of Sora's and the others sight, making them brace themselves for any coming attacks. There was none.

Soon, they all heard a gushing sound, red liquid covering their vision as it passed over them. They all turned around to see a Keyblade pierced through Yen Sid's chest, a distraught look of agony and shock in his face. His iris's shrank as he wiggled slightly from the lost of blood, including the heart that dangled at the point of the Keyblade.

Roxas grinned, actually feeling satisfied in taking the old magician's heart, his life going along with it. He pulled the Keyblade back out, the heart floating towards his hands. Once it landed at his palm, blood stained on his hand from the heart, which glowed with a red and black mist, showing the tainted affect it was getting from being in Roxas's hand. Yen Sid dropped to his knees, clutching his open wound where his heart used to be, falling to the cement ground, cringing in pain.

Everyone stood silent, not making a move, too shock of what had just occurred. Just then, out of all time to wake up, King Mickey opened his eyes, feeling a disturbance in the air. He blinked a couple of times, before seeing red on the floor. Fearing for the worse, he looked up to see his master dying on the floor, Roxas right above him, clutching onto his heart.

He shouted out, running to his fallen master side, "Teacher!" He grabbed hold of his hand with his right, while the left on his bloodied opening franticly.

That time when King Mickey shouted, everyone shook out of their petrified gaze. Roxas smirked, starting to open up a portal for his escape, succeeding in his mission. He spoke, justifying his answer for his actions, "A regular soul of the heart isn't enough to save Kingdom Hearts now. We now need the heart itself in order to regain Kingdom Heart's restoration, soul and all its physical presence. This is the only way…the only way to save Namine. You guys are just going to have to stop me, making me be force to repent of what I have done." Sora looked up at Roxas, glaring furiously at him, his grip on his Keyblade so strong that his hands started turning red.

Roxas continued off, "Sora, you can't tell Namine about this. I know what you're thinking. I'm a fool, huh?" He paused, taking a look at the heart he held, "Well, I guess I'll be a fool, if it means I could save Namine to what fate she has been given to suffer that she doesn't deserve." Roxas took a step into the void, whispering out, but loud enough for them to hear, "Please, just don't tell Namine." With that, he disappeared into the darkness. Sora charged at the spot, shouting out, "Roxas! Wait!" But, he was gone.

Sora and the others just stood still at that moment, taking in Roxas's words, him believing that this was the only way into solving and saving the predicament Namine was in.

Yen Sid coughed, blood coming out of his mouth, "Poor…Lad….he thinks…what he is doing…'cough'….is the right thing….but….he is only strengthening what is to come…'cough'" Everyone took their attention back to Yen Sid, falling to his side.

Mickey was desperately holding onto his teacher's long skinny hand, not believing the fact that he was dying. Mickey spoke, his voice trembling, "Teac…Teacher?" Yen Sid's eyes became hollow, his end nearing, "I…I can not hold on… any longer. My…my life is fading… now as we speak. Without the… full extent of my heart, I am neither Nobody… or heartless. I am now… between limbos… between nothingness. Death, which is the price……we all end at… when losing out heart…… physically and spiritually." Yen Sid turned to Sora, who was behind the view of his student, "Keyblade master, do what the lad said… don't tell Namine…about this incident. She will surely be heartbroken, and we….. can not have that."

Sora spoke a whisper, his own voice cracking, "Yen…Yen Sid?" Yen Sid spoke once again, "They will go… after others with strong hearts, hearts that… have experience through the many influences… between darkness and light. You must stop them, Sora. Also, do not…… let them get a hold of Namine; for I fear……the worse could happen… if she does fall into their hands." He shuddered, his voice failing him, "Good luck… young ones. I pray that you would…… solve the mysteries that are….. about to be revealed. Also, I hope you all… will succeed in saving the worlds…… from plunging into darkness once again….uh…" With that, Yen Sid's eyes turned into a cloudy shade of grey, his eyes closing lightly. The great wizard was dead.

Kairi began to sob, her tears pouring continuously. King Mickey, as well as Donald and Goofy began to cry silently, knowing the wizard well. Mickey took hold of his master, but gasped as his body faded within the ground, a dark cloud covering him before taking his body away in the depths of darkness.

Sora and Riku stood silent, holding back the tears that were about to fall. Sora knew that as long as the Organization and Roxas had Yen Sid's heart, he would be carried away by the darkness. There was no saving the wizard now, but he knew he could stop others with strong hearts from ending such a fate.

With a new look of determination, Sora put away his Keyblade. This caused everyone to turn to him, tears visible in all their eyes.

He spoke, looking down at the grown for one second with closed eyes, before looking back up to all of them, "There's nothing we can do now, but make sure that they don't get another strong heart for their scheme. Also, like Yen Sid said, we can't let them have Namine. And, I bet you that Roxas doesn't even know half the plans the Organization is really planning with all these hearts. Sure, it's to restore Kingdom Hearts, but it's more than that, I could feel it."

Kairi spoke, wiping away her tears, but it proved futile as more came, "So, what do we do now?"

Sora helped Riku up, still in pain from all his injuries, "Let's go to Twilight Town. We need to recuperate. We also need to wait for Namine to wake up, so let's go and see how she is as well." Taking a big breath, Sora spoke again, "We can't mourn now, not with the worlds and Kingdom Hearts at stake."

Everyone nodded, getting up from the floor. Kairi helped Riku walk as well, all of them heading towards the Gummi ship and to Twilight Town.

The castle was now abandoned, the great wizard that controlled the cosmos gone. His heart was taken by the darkness, his blood still stained on everyone's cloths and mourning hearts.

The worlds were doomed to be next. Whose heart will go next into the dark void?

Kiome-Yasha: "My God, this chapter was freaking long! Its 18 pages! Sorry for the long wait everyone, I hope you can forgive me. Like I said, by the end of June and I do mean end. I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but I assure you, I will not abandon this story! Until next chapter! Reviews would be nice, but no pressure."


	14. Aftermath

Declaimer: "Does not own KH. Life is sad."

Kiome-Yasha: "Sorry for the LONG wait everyone, but life is life. I've started college this year, and load and behold it's tougher than High School. And I'm really trying to pass my college courses because it's going to determine my future. So please, don't hound me down on updating, because I will update. All I ask is for a little bit of patient from you guys. I'm really trying hard into getting work done and updating my fics at the same time here. Not only that, I do need to update my FF7 fic time to time as well; so there will be time consumption from that as well. And now, for what'd you all been waiting for, chapter 13."

Chapter 13 The Aftermath

Namine woke up, her body lying on top of the stain glass she had seen before in her previous dreams. She got up slowly, her heart feeling heavy, bringing her down a bit from getting up. She lifted herself halfway, taking in her surroundings. She heard a faint heart beat in the distance, still having an abnormal sound.

Finally able to find strength inside her small form, she got up from the floor. Namine looked around once more, making sure there weren't any of those haunting Nobodies and Heartless creatures around. She gave a shiver at the thought of seeing them again.

Finding nothing to do, she walked towards the top center of the huge stain glass where Roxas's face was. Namine halted her steps, ending at the chin of his peaceful looking face. She then squatted down, placing a hand on his glass made cheek, wishing to touch the warmth she once felt. She stood quiet, letting the creeping heart beat in the distance fade out from her mind. She then heard the song she always had in her head, ever since she was born from the darkness. The song she never even knew or heard of before, she figured it was from Kairi, but Kairi never heard of the song either. The song called "Sanctuary".

Namine played the song in her head, the song reminding her of Roxas. She closed her eyes, laying her head on top of Roxas's stain glass one. Before she knew it, tears began to fall from her closed eyelids. She gasped, placing her hands on her cheeks, feeling the wet moisture.

Namine whispered out, "Roxas…where are you?" She then heard the offbeat heart stop.

Namine got up from the cold ground, starting to feel a chill in the air. Warm air escaped from her mouth, her cheeks including her body getting red from the freeze that was gathering in the room. Namine placed her arms around her, trying to seek back the warmth that was attainable just a minute ago.

She whispered out, her red lips quivering from the cold, "Wh-wha-what is go-going on?" She then heard a voice speak out, "The heart has gone cold…" All of a sudden, the ground below her turned dark, sprouting purple portals. She knew what was coming, and she was right on top of it. Soon, hands that belonged to Heartless and Nobodies sprang forth from the ground, lashing onto Namine. They grabbed her wrists and ankles, the other hands creeping up her body. She screamed, tears springing forth in fear.

She shouted, "ROXAS! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Then came a shine of light, but it wasn't any light, this light was filled with a golden color of warmth. The disfigured bodies of the Heartless and Nobodies cried out in pain like no other creature could produce, all of them screeching from the light.

The glass shattered from underneath her, breaking into a million pieces. Namine, not having anything to stand on, began to fall into the darkness below. She feared that once she crashed down to the ground, there was a great chance she wasn't going to survive.

She screamed as she fell, the darkness swallowing her up into its depth along with her call for the only person she could think of at the moment; Roxas.

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Roxas got back from the portal, his heart feeling heavy all of a sudden as if it was sinking into a dark pit, a light following down after it. He shook it off, his eyes changing back to his rightful blue than the amber red glow that had appeared.

He exited the portal, carrying the beating heart of Yen Sid in his pocket. He stopped as he saw Xemnas standing in front of him, Minx and the others by his side. Roxas glared at Xemnas, taking the heart out of his pocket and throwing it towards him. Xemnas caught the heart effortlessly, holding a huge smirk.

Roxas scowled, "There, you happy?" Xemnas produced a wicked grin, "Yes, very much so." He then raised his hand, beckoning Vexen over. He placed the heart gently in Vexen's hand as he spoke deeply, "Place the heart in our collection for Kingdom Hearts." Vexen snickered, "Right away, Superior."

And he walked off, holding onto the heart like the mad scientist he was. Minx shivered, "Man, that guy totally creeps me out." Xemnas chuckled, "Don't let him bother you." Minx crossed her little arms across her flat chest, holding a pout.

Roxas who had enough of Xemnas and the others presence spoke, "If that is all, may I leave now?" Xemnas nodded, "You may, but don't rest long Roxas. I'll be holding your next assignment soon." Roxas only glared, not feeling delighted or anxious at all for his new upcoming mission.

Roxas turned the other direction, heading back to his room.

Xemnas then turned to his subordinates, "I wish for the four of you to go along as well in the next assignment." They nodded, agreeing with the task.

Soon there was a voice that intruded, "May I go as well, Superior?"

Xemnas and the other Nobodies turned around to see Larxene, holding a kunai between her fingers. Xemnas spoke, feeling rather curious, "And why would that be Larxene?" She shifted the kunai back in the shadow of her sleeve; "I haven't had any action since I've been revived…also…" She took a pause, "I want to look after Roxas's back, considering I don't trust these bastards. Besides, with Axel gone, who's going to keep Roxas in line?"

Linux scuffed from Larxene's tone, disliking her already. Xemnas was silent for a moment before replying, "Very well, you may go on the next assignment." Larxene smirked, "Thank you, Superior." She then turned her head towards the four Nobodies, "I hope we can play nice now." She then swiftly turned away from them, dismissing herself from them.

Linux spoke with venom, "Who does she think she is? Bossy bitch..." Xemnas spoke, holding his tone firm, "Now, that is enough of that. I want you all to get some rest. You must be fully prepared for the next mission ahead."

They nodded, departing back to their quarters. Xemnas grinned, taking his own leave to search for Saix.

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Roxas made it back to his room, but not without having heart pains along the way. He clutched his chest, collapsing on top of his bed. With sweat pouring from his forehead, Roxas spoke, "What the hell is happening to me?" Before anything or anyone could answer him, Roxas passed out.

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Namine groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up, and caught a blurry image of red and green. She then heard a voice, "Finally awake, huh?"

Namine roused up quickly, feeling no pains at all from her fall. She looked up, meeting the face of the one an only Flurry of Dancing Flames himself; Axel.

Axel spoke, holding his trademark grin, "Looks like you had a nasty fall, Namine. But don't worry, you're not hurt." Namine began getting up, with a little help from Axel of course.

Namine spoke, feeling confused, "Axel, where are we?" Axel crossed his arms, "I'm guessing we're in Roxas's heart, along with his locked up memories." Namine froze, speaking her thoughts aloud, "Locked up memories?"

Axel took a few steps forward in the dark void, "Yeah, I've been doing some investigation. Looks like Roxas has memories locked up somewhere deep inside him, way before he became number 13 or when he was one with Sora." Namine asked, "How do you know?" He answered, closing his eyes in concentration, "Birth by sleep." Namine became confused, "What?"

Axel turned to her, "It's what I keep hearing from those voices of those guys I told you about, though, I have no clue who they really are either." Axel was silent for a second before continuing on, "Anyway, I discovered that Roxas has these memories that don't even belong to himself." He began walking more into the void, gesturing Namine to follow him, "I'm going to show you what I found."

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They all made it safely back to Twilight Town, vacating an abandoned building for shelter. Sora and the others reported the news of Yen Sid's death to the three fairies, the three of them hollowing in tears over the wizard's death. While that, Namine was still unconscious, never making a twitch where she lay.

They all couldn't really move until she woke up, so they scattered around the abandoned apartment, keeping themselves occupied. It was also their way in forgetting what just happened at the tower as well as relaxing and planning their next move.

Kairi wanted to go see Pence, Hayner, and Olette, but Riku and Sora declined, not wanting to get them involved. So she stayed with Goofy and Donald instead, finding means to comfort the three fairies over their sorrow. In the meantime, Riku went to comfort King Mickey, also planning on discussing with him what their next move should be.

As for Sora, he sat be Namine's side. He looked at her face with deep concentration, trying to figure out everything that had happened. He also had to keep his word to Yen Sid in keeping her safe, but why him? Was it because he was the one who saved the worlds as the Keyblade Master? He ducked his head down, scrunching up his eyebrows and pinching his nose lightly. What also puzzled Sora was that light he felt from Namine, along with why she passed out. The light he felt was so warm, as well as pleasing to his heart. He couldn't really describe the source, only that it came from Namine and that it somehow rejuvenated his strength.

Sora's thoughts then led to Roxas. Roxas was the one who took the life of Yen Sid as well as his heart. Sora shuttered, knowing that it was his actual heart that Roxas had taken. He could still picture the image of his face, a sullen expression with his eyes glowing with bright amber. He also remembered the promise he had made to Roxas of not telling Namine about him, but he didn't necessary needed to keep that promise. Either way though, Sora would keep his promise, knowing it would only bring Namine more pain if she knew the truth. But the next time Sora ever encounters Roxas, he'll make sure to be the bloody hell out of him and convince him that what he was doing was wrong...

With that said, Sora took another glance at Namine's peaceful face. They couldn't really make a move until she woke up, not only that, he really wanted to see if she knew anything about the light she produced. Just then Kairi came in, opening the door gently with a soft knock.

Sora turned around from his seat, holding a small smile, "Hey Kairi, how's everyone doing?" She sat next to him, folding her hands on her lap, "They're doing a little better than before. Riku is with King Mickey right now, trying to decide what we should do after Namine wakes up." Sora looked down at Namine, "If she ever." Kairi placed a comforting hand on Sora's, "I'm sure she'll wake up soon. After all, she still needs to get Roxas back."

Sora nodded, smiling brightly at Kairi. She then leaned her face to Sora's, placing a soft kiss to his lips. Sora responded, gently putting pressure onto Kairi's pink lips. They then separated, both of them holding hands and watching over Namine.

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Namine followed down the dark void after Axel, looking around to see if there was anything else besides the two of them. Fortunately, she didn't find anything.

Axel spoke, causing Namine to jump, "Don't worry, there are no Heartless or Nobodies here." Namine nodded, feeling a little reassured. She kept her pace to be behind Axel, keeping in him in her sight. Not too soon Axel came to a halt, causing Namine to crash behind him. She made a small noise from shock, looking ahead to see the reason for Axel's hesitation.

Axel gave his usual smirk, "We're here." Just ahead of her, Namine saw another stain glass cylinder. When she caught sight of the circle's image, she noticed it to be completely different from the other stain glass. This one indeed had Roxas on it, but he was wearing some type of armor, resembling that of a knight. Also, it also goes the fact that beside his head where circles of faces she didn't recognize.

Namine took a step closer towards the images, trying to get an idea of who the people were, but she couldn't decipher them. Axel took a step along with her, "This is what I found. I have no idea who these people are." She looked up at him, hoping more of an answer than that.

She looked back at Roxas; he looked different in the armor, like a whole different kind of a person. Was there something about Roxas that he was meant to do, or was something more than a 'suppose' Nobody? Namine shook her head, not quite understanding all of this. She squatted down, laying a hand on Roxas's face.

Axel squatted next to her, "Namine, I think there's a memory here. A memory that has been long forgotten." She looked at him, "You're hoping that with my power I could unlock the chains?" Axel nodded, "That's exactly what I'm saying." She nodded, "Alright, I understand. I'll give it my best." He nodded, "Alright."

Namine got up from the floor and took a few steps ahead. As she took these steps, a chain appeared in front of her. She went to grab the chains, but a binding chill rushed inside her. Namine let out a scream, her whole body going numb from the cold that was emitting from the chains. Axel took this sign to use his firepower and melted the chill away from Namine, grabbing her hands away from the chains and saving her from being frozen over.

Namine panted, feeling a little faint from the chill. Axel put two warm hands on each side of her cheeks, hoping to warm the pale girl. Soon the colors began to return to Namine's face and skin. She looked up at Axel, "I couldn't do it; something was blocking me." Axel didn't understand how anything could block Namine's powers, but then she explained, "There's another force in work here that is chaining up the memories. Plus…I'm…. just not strong enough, my energy is really weak as of this moment to even arrange the memories from being released."

Axel lifted Namine up, "You're probably not strong enough because of your condition." She nodded in agreement, feeling a little shaken from the frost that attacked her. Axel asked, feeling a bit concern, "Are you alright?" She replied, "I'll be fine. But, I'm now concern on what memories are locked within Roxas that we don't know of. There are so many secrets we have yet to understand or discover." Axel looked sullen, before speaking, "Namine, Roxas is different from any other Nobody. He's at a different level than you and I, and that of the others. But, I've come to discover that you have a special path as well than any other Nobodies."

Namine looked at Axel skeptically, Yen Sid's words repeating back into her head. Axel was about to speak again, but was stopped when they both heard a large thump of a heartbeat. Axel cursed under his breath, "Dammit, they're coming." He turned to Namine, fear written all over her face, her eyes swimming with questions of uncertainty.

He grabbed a hold of her arm, speaking in a low voice, "Namine, I'm going to try to figure so more stuff out. Until then…" A large shadow started growing behind Axel, threatening to engulf him into its dark void. He continued, a smirk plastered on his face as Namine shouted out to him, "Until then, wake up!"

After that, all she saw and remembered was his cunning smirk under the dark shade, a light soon overwhelming her senses.

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Namine's eyes jolted up, her body reacting to the jolt as well. Sora and Kairi gasped in surprise, stunned to see her awake.

They both shouted at the same time, "Namine!" She turned to look at their faces, having no time to speak or react as an embrace from Kairi attacked her. Sora breathed out a sigh of relief, glad to see that Namine was okay. Kairi spoke in a frantic voice, but one with pure relief, "Namine, I'm so glad to see you're alright. You've been unconscious for awhile." Namine looked up, speaking timidly, "I have? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you all worried." She kept silent over the dream and talk she had with Axel, not wanting to bother the others with it.

Sora made an interrupting sound, "Kairi, I'm sorry to break this up, but I need to talk to Namine for a quick second. Why don't you tell Riku and the others she's awake in the meantime?" Kairi nodded, lifting herself off of Namine and heading towards the door; she took a quick glance at both Namine and Sora before she felt comfortable leaving the room.

Sora heard the click of the door, taking that as a sign for him to start speaking, "Namine, I want to ask you a few questions." Namine looked a little wary, but prepared herself for Sora's question, "Alright." He took a sigh, "I need you to tell me about that light that had came from you." She looked down at her hands, both of them gripping onto the sheets lightly for support; for what reason, she did not know.

Namine spoke, her tone sounding honest, "I really don't know, I can't explain it myself. I could remember it as a rush of energy and light overtaking me. I don't where that light came from, well, besides from inside me." Sora looked skeptical, trying to figure it all in his head; it turned out it was futile for him.

Sora got up from his chair, "I'll explain to King Mickey what happened when he comes. In the meantime, just relax and take it easy. We still need to recuperate ourselves and plan what to do next." She nodded, understanding the situation, but it wasn't until a thought struck her, "Sora, what happened to master Yen Sid?" Sora became quiet, not sure on how to break the news of the old wizard's death to Namine, including the fact that it was Roxas who killed him.

He answered, knowing there was no way to avoid the question either way, "Namine, Yen Sid was killed during the ambush back at the tower." He took further thought into his words before continuing, "One of the Organization members killed him." Namine's eyes widen in shock, tears threatening to spill from cerulean orbs. She looked at Sora's face, his blue eyes proving that he wasn't lying. She then looked back down at her hands, giving out a low whisper but audible to hear, "No, it can't be." Slow wet tears slipped down her cheeks slowly, a hint of warmth that gave her no comfort whatsoever.

Namine covered her face with her hands, trying to hide away her tears and sorrow. Sure she didn't know the wizard for long, she only knew him for one day; but she still felt a connection from his presence as a source of guidance. Sora looked up at Namine, giving a short sigh of regret. He felt like he could have done something more to stop Roxas's actions in killing the wise wizard. He could have saved Yen Sid from suffering such a cruel fate; he could have kept his heart from falling to the hands of darkness. He truly was a failed Keyblade master. But he would make up for his mistake by protecting Namine and getting her through with saving Roxas and the worlds from darkness.

Just then, King Mickey and everyone else entered the room. Namine took this sign to dry away her tears and to get a grip; this wasn't the time to think on the past.

Riku spoke, placing a hand on Namine's slim shoulder, "Glad to see you're awake, Namine." She nodded, a small smile appearing on her face, "Thank you, Riku. Glad to see you're alright as well." King Mickey spoke, "Well, now that you're awake. We have discussed on some plans on what to do."

Riku became solemn, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "King Mickey and I have discussed an idea of what to do and how to get through the world where Organization 13 might be located; but you're not going to like it." Sora braced himself, determine to know the plan, "I'm sure it can't be that bad. Just tell us what we need to do."

Mickey nodded, "Sure, but let's wait until Namine is fully recovered." Namine shook her head, speaking loudly, "No, I'm fine." She tried to get up off the bed, but slipped back down onto the cushions. The three fairies helped Namine adjust herself back under the covers, frightened that the small petite blonde girl might strain herself.

Mickey spoke, "That settles it. Namine, just wait awhile to recover, there is no use in hurting yourself." Namine's voice strained desperately, "Please, we have to do what we need to do quickly. If not…" Goofy spoke, feeling sorry for the girl, "Namine, I know you're worried about Roxas, but you need to heal so you'll be able to see him again. You aren't strong with the currency-" Donald cut him off with a scold, "Current!" Goofy laughed to his mistake, "Gwarsh, current situation you're in right now."

Namine slumped her head forward, Goofy's words making her understand, "Alright; but I refuse to stay in bed." They all nodded, at least giving her the opportunity to walk around.

Sora spoke as he got off from his chair, "Alright, in the meantime, I need to talk to his majesty and Riku." He turned to Kairi and the three fairies, "Take care of Namine." They nodded in agreement, taking Namine off the bed and out the door to walk around the shelter. Goofy and Donald stayed, standing next to Sora and listening into on the mission.

Sora spoke, his blue eyes blazing with anticipation, "Okay, so exactly do we need to do?"

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Axel managed to escape the large shadowy monster's jaws, but it didn't mean the chase was over. He ran fast in the abyss, trying to avoid the creature at any cost, but it was right on his trail. Axel cursed under his breath, "Damn, at this rate, I won't make it." He smirked from the thought of his demise, "Well, at least I was able to get Namine out safely."

Soon the creature's body grabbed hold of Axel's legs, making him trip over on the ground. Axel flipped his body over to his attacker, speaking with a smug grin, "Shit, so this is it, huh?" Just before the shadow's fangs could close in on Axel's head, a slash of light had cut through its jowl. The figure shook with terror, letting out an agonizing howl of pain before it crumbled into nothing more but dark cloudy mist.

Axel turned to his savior, curiosity getting the better of him than gratitude. He found the person to be wearing an Organization 13 outfit, the person's body fit for a young girl. His eyes widened in shock, his voice going along with his expression, "You!"

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Saix entered the lab, Xemnas giving him orders to find out the progress of Kingdom Heart's restoration from Vexen and report back to him. He approached the mad scientist; even though without a heart, Vexen still lingered onto the chemicals and hypotheses that was science.

Saix spoke in a bored monotone voice, "How goes the progress of Kingdom Hearts?" Vexen groaned in frustration, "Argh; at this rate, it would take years for Kingdom Hearts to be restored to its full potential." Saix stood there patiently, taking the information as nothing surprising.

Saix turned away from the enraged scientist, "I will report to Xemnas, telling him the news." Vexen spoke, more to himself than to Saix, "What we need is more strong hearts; one heart alone from a powerful old wizard won't be enough to complete Kingdom Hearts." Saix took a glance at Vexen's back, his posture showing evidence of him being bent on the current situation. He turned away from him, disappearing in his own aura of dark fog. Vexen took no notice of this, his thoughts engrossed into the project.

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Saix appeared on top of the altar where Xemnas stood, his gaze entirely focused on the broken heart shaped moon. Xemnas took notice of Saix presence, regarding to his request he had set him to do, "So, how goes Kingdom Hearts?" Saix spoke in his usual weary tone, "Not so well. Vexen is going on a tirade on how we need more strong hearts." Xemnas stood quiet from this information, his mind already plotting.

Soon a grinned appeared on his face, "Then we shall fetch these hearts that are capable of such wills." Saix became complex, "And, who would you have in mind?" Xemnas turned to Saix, "Retrieve Roxas for me would you Saix?" Saix nodded, Xemnas's brilliant smirk rising from his evil conspiracy, "I need him to conquer a lion's heart for me."

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Kiome-Yasha: "After such a long wait, I finally finished the chapter. Blame college everyone!!! I know you guys probably want to murder me for causing you to wait SO long for this chapter; and it's not even that long, which is more depressing. I'm sorry everyone, but I'm trying the best I can to finish this story, and don't worry, I will. Anyway, until next time, enjoy the cliffhangers! Plus, it would be nice if you guys reviewed, I really want you're opinion on how you felt about the chapter; thankz and byz for now."


	15. Lost Lion Hearts

Disclaimer: "Kingdom Hearts belongs to the empire of Squarenix!"

Kiome-Yasha: "Sorry for not updating sooner than ever everybody, but I had to work on my other fanfiction since I haven't updated it for awhile. But, I'm updating my KH fic now, so you guys won't have to weep or cry any longer. I hope this chapter is promising for you all to like and read. On with the chapter; prepare yourselves, readers; this is my longest chapter yet."

Chapter 15 Lost Hearts

Sora had led through a conversation that made him anxious and reluctant. He paced through the halls of the abandoned shelter, scratching his hair from time to time in slight aggravation. He understood the plan, but was unwilling to believe it was the only way. If they condemned themselves of doing this, the worlds would surely perish slowly to the darkness that is coming. It was the only way, at least, to King Mickey; and who was he to argue with the wise, yet dynamic King? Sora was the Keyblade Master, along with others; only they could perform the task they were given from the King. Sora didn't like it, but he knew it was the truth; only by reversing what he had worked so hard to do can they break the barriers of darkness that led to the hidden headquarters of Organization 13.

Sora shook his head as he came to a sudden halt, slapping his cheeks gently yet firmly to get a grip on himself. He almost forgot why he was pacing through the halls in the first place; he had to inform Namine and Kairi that they were leaving. He went back on his path in searching for them, the King's words and orders repeating in the back of his head.

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Sora shouted at Riku, his face shifting to that of pure disbelief, "That can't be the only solution you guys came up with!!" Riku closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from ridiculing at Sora's outburst, "I hate to say it, but it is the only solution we came up with, Sora. Believe me, if there was another way, we'll take it! But; it's the only thing we have in getting to Roxas and stopping the Organization as quickly as possible." Sora shifted to Mickey, his hands outstretched in a pleading gesture, "Your Majesty, this can't be the only way. Think about how dangerous it is to the other worlds! If we do this, then-,"

He had cut Sora off, his face revealing a severe expression, "I'm very aware of the consequences, Sora. Believe me, I know what could happen, no; I know it will happen, but, it's the only option we have. I'm sorry, but if we don't do this quickly as possible, people we care about might lose their hearts." He looked down to the side, the memory of his Mentor's heart being stolen right before his eyes still fresh in his mind, the memory refusing to relinquish itself.

Sora saw his expression, knowing what he was thinking about and felt sorry for his lost. He shoulders slumped, surrendering himself to the argument, his arms sagging on his sides. Goofy and Donald remained speechless towards the discussion, the both of them wary towards the situation, having no clue on what to say as they fiddled their fingers.

After repeating the plan once more to himself, Sora knew that Riku and King Mickey were right; it was probably the quickest way they could afford in stopping the Organization before anymore hearts were taken as ruefully as Yen Sid was. He just couldn't believe the possible sacrifice they had to make.

Sora lifted his head, his voice speaking in a low tone of defeat, "I understand. We Keyblade warriors must travel separately to different worlds, and…and… unlock what we had locked; the keyholes to darkness."

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Sora lifted a hand to his face, slowly bringing it down across it as he continued to walk the halls in search of Namine and Kairi; the assignment that they had to undertake still bothering him to the core of his heart, grasping it in an uncomfortable grip of discomfort and worry. He knew who was going to be participating in the operation, but they still had to report back to Radiant Garden and explain what happened to Yen Sid; as well as the task they had to perform. They also had to return and have a talk with Cid, praying with his help, along with Chip and Dale, they could engineer together in creating separate Gummi ships; that way, each person who wielded a Keyblade could embark individually to different worlds and unlock the keyholes. It was an idea Riku came up with, deciding it would be like killing two birds with one stone, only with multiple keyholes.

Sora altered his eyes left to right through each passage he passed by, hoping to find Namine and Kairi in one of them. He hated how huge the place was; it only caused him to think more deeply on the assignment they had to do. He shuddered and frowned at the possible damages that would be released if they go on with the procedure, his hands constricting themselves into tight fists. With the maturing state the dark realm was achieving, it would be impossible to push the darkness back when they unlock the keyholes. When that happens, each individual world would once again fall into darkness, when Sora and his friends had worked so hard in retrieving the light back for them. Everyone that they had saved and helped would crumble back into the darkness's depths. They were going to take their light away, allowing them to drown into the shadows of the abyss; if only it would complete their task quicker in getting to the Organization and Roxas, stopping them from their immoral plot. Sora couldn't take that responsibility; he was going against something he was destined to do, keeping the darkness away from the worlds.

He was about to slam his fists into a wall, but stopped with great hold and reflex as it almost made contact with Namine's face. She took a slight gasp of fear and shock, the air that was forced from out of Sora's fists brushing against her face.

Kairi was behind Namine, finding herself to be taken back from the damage that was about to be caused. Sora stood there frozen, his face took a look of surprise from seeing Namine so suddenly. His face looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, Namine. I didn't mean to scare you." She nodded dumbly, the fear of almost getting hit from Sora's fists making her seem frightened to speak.

Kairi pulled herself away from Namine's back, walking a step towards Sora, "Sora, are you alright?" She had a feeling something must be bothering him to want to punch the wall, considering it was probably his target. Sora had put down his striking fist, his face becoming solemn, "It concerns the conversation I just had with Riku and King Mickey." Kairi and Namine both looked hesitant and chary towards Sora's current tone and mood, the both of them feeling uncomfortable.

Sora slumped against the wall, explaining the mission to Namine and Kairi, their faces becoming groom over the information he gave them. By the time he was done, everything was in silent that a pin drop could be heard down the hall.

Kairi spoke, finding her voice, "So, it's been decided." Sora nodded, "That's the plan; it's the only thing we can know for sure that will work." He went silent before going on, "I know how it sounds, trust me, I don't like it either, but we have no choice." He looked at Namine, who just kept clutching her hands together to her chest.

He turned to Kairi, keeping his head down soon after, "We're leaving now, so, prepare yourselves for departure. We're all heading back to Radiant Garden to inform the others what happened and what the operation is. Can you tell the fairies?" Kairi nodded, confirming that she will.

With that, Sora took off down the hall, feeling a bit of a lost, but not as much as Namine as she felt like it was her fault.

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Roxas woke up as he heard a knock on his door, he groaned, lifting his sore body off the bed. He clutched his chest, feeling a heavy darkness clouding his insides. He grasped the leather above where his heart should have been, grunting a sound of pain as it kept squeezing him tightly. Roxas ignored the pain as he stood up, heading towards the door.

He opened the door to reveal Larxene, her face showing a look of alarm. She spoke, her voice becoming steady as she asked with concern, "Roxas are you alright?" He coughed, "I'm fine, nothing to worry about. I'm just feeling a little restless since the fight I had with the old wizard." Larxene looked unconvinced; Roxas may have not known, but his eyes were blazing with a golden color that matched with the Superior's own.

Roxas spoke, breaking Larxene's focus on his eyes, "Larxene, what is it?" She shook her head, remembering why she came to him in the first place, "Roxas, superior has called for us. It looks like the next mission has been decided, so let's go."

Roxas nodded without hesitation, closing his door as he followed Larxene. Larxene refused to look back at Roxas, his eyes burning holes to wherever they gazed at, even if it wasn't on purpose.

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Namine looked up at the Gummi ship as everyone gathered to get ready to leave. She stood there, her thoughts catching up with her to be in a trance; to Roxas leaving, to her arriving at Radiant garden, to Yen Sid losing his heart, and to what was happening to Axel and Roxas. She looked up at the sky, praying that Axel would be alright; with some weird feeling though, something told her he was. If anything, Roxas was the one who she was worried about.

Namine clasped hold to her chest with her right hand, a sudden feeling coming over her that was worse than darkness; a hollow emptiness.

She jumped as she felt a heart beat go through her, making her body echo from the sound and feeling. It wasn't a comforting feeling; the strike she felt from the heart was disturbing, making it feel like it was intruding her insides. The feeling left as soon as it came, making her feel uneasy over the episode. Just when she was feeling a bit light-headed from her body, Namine jumped when she felt someone place an arm on her shoulder. She turned around to see it was Riku, who gave her a questioning smile, "Namine, are you alright? You don't feel like you're having another disappearing act, do you?" She shook her head, feeling unsure, "No, I don't think so at least."

Riku gave her shoulder a reassuring press from his hand, before releasing her as he headed towards the Gummi ship. He turned around to Namine, shouting back at her, "Come on, Namine; before we leave you behind!" Namine shook out of her daze, rushing forward to where the others were, already entering inside the cockpit of the ship.

They all entered inside the vicinity of the Gummi ship, lifting themselves off the roof of the abandoned building carefully as not to get caught by the townspeople of Twilight town. Namine looked down at the peaceful city, her gaze expressing with longing of a hopeful dream that someday she could have lived with Roxas here; befriending with those he grew to care about as his friends, the illusion of friendship he thought existed. Namine swore to herself she will make everything right; she just needed to discover that power she was told from Yen Sid to do it.

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Axel kept looking at the woman as she stared down at him. He was still on the ground, his body in shock over seeing the woman he had come to know as the lost Organization member, never given a number to what rank she was in awe. He chuckled, not letting her see how fazed he was in seeing her, "So, to what pleasure do I get in meeting you here?" He didn't even know her name; her whole character was a mystery to him.

The woman spoke, her voice containing much youth but wisdom as well, "Xemnas thought he could get rid of me so easily, knowing I know the truth of the past and what he is trying to accomplish." Axel arched a brow to the woman's words, wondering if she was going somewhere with it. She continued, walking around him, "That girl; Namine, she can't escape her destiny to what she was given with from her birth. Both she and Roxas are special in many ways, their lives intertwined for many reasons. But, the affections they had developed for each other were something entirely unplanned. Namine went after him with her own free will, a will that is not her own, as sad as it may be." Axel had cut her off, his frustration being visible, "Look lady, I don't know what psychic jumbo you're talking about, but those kids shouldn't be involved with it. And, I'm going to make sure of that! Got it memorized?"

The Organization female scoffed at Axel, "You can't stop it. Namine can't refuse her destiny; the power she was given with from her birth when she was separated from Kairi wasn't a coincidence. If anything, Namine was born as her own being rather than a part of Kairi." Axel drew his weapon out, the sharp rings burning with flames around the edges, "I had enough of hearing you. I don't know what your deal is, but whatever it is, you're not going to involve those kids."

Axel charged at the woman, jumping up as he threw his chakrams at her, but she reflected them back at him with an overpowering force. Axel was hit from the blazing edges of his weapon, tackling him back onto the ground with a strong impact. He was left their groaning in pain, his hands latching onto his stomach as it was throbbing from the collision he received from his chakrams, along with whatever the woman had thrown back at him.

As the pain subsided, Axel jumped right back up from the ground, grabbing hold onto his two rings. He shouted at the woman who just stood there with amusement, "Who are you!? Actually, who are you part of!?" The woman chuckled, "There shall be answers in due time." After that she faded into a misty cloud of light. Axel stood dumbfounded as the darkness that was surrounding him had no chance in touching the foggy glow that was left behind.

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Roxas felt like his eyes were burning with such intensity he felt like splashing his face into water with his eyes open; he never thought he could miss Demyx as much as he did now in delivering that. He decided to ignore the pain for now, clarifying that it will go away eventually or he'll just get used to it.

Larxene brought herself to a standstill as she and Roxas reached the door of the Nobody hall, where Xemnas waits for them inside. She turned back at Roxas who nodded, signaling her to open the door.

She opened the grand door to the hall with as much strength she could muster, the doors being too large to open normally. The door groaned open as the hinges twisted the double door apart, making Xemnas aware that they had arrived. He smirked as he caught sight of Roxas's eyes; their color matching with his own golden orbs.

Roxas sneered as he saw the new group of Organization members there as well, sensing that they were coming along in the mission too. He hated the thought of them coming along; knowing their true purpose was to keep on eye on him from rebelling against Xemnas.

Larxene grinned as they walked their way towards them, "Well, I see you novices are coming along. Hope you wouldn't hold us back." Minx snickered evilly, "I was about to say the same thing to you, old hag; try not to slow us down with your old age." Larxene growled as she took out her kunais, getting herself heated up for battle with the small pink haired imp. Roxas calmed her down as he gave her a stern look and a light touch of his hand on hers. She placed her hand down, making her kunais disappear within her sleeves. She mumbled as she straightened herself up, "Not worth my time anyway."

Xemnas scolded, folding his arms across his chest, "Save your energy, you'll need it on your assignment." Everyone turned towards him as he made himself clear that this mission required vigor.

He turned towards each person, speaking as he checked that everyone was here, "Your mission is to catch a lion heart, which resides in Radiant Garden. Radiant Garden contains special forces that could cause a threat on your conquest there to snatch the heart, Roxas." He turned to Roxas to elucidate that he would be the one performing that task. Roxas just stood where he was, his glare intensifying towards Xemnas.

Xemnas spoke again, "Your target Roxas is named Leon, a man who just reunited with his lost lover. She too possesses a great part of Leon's heart, which makes his heart very valuable." Roxas's face frowned as he stared down at the floor, his thoughts drifting to Namine. He missed her so much, but he couldn't return to her, not now. He had to fulfill Xemnas's wishes in order to save her from disappearing from his life. Namine was too important to him to let go, she was the one who showed him the truth; and even as bad as it was, it was alright, as long as she was by his side to go through the pain. Now, there was a chance of losing her, the other half to his heart, no matter if it existed or not. He just couldn't bear to feel that pain and loneliness again, never again.

Xemnas snapped Roxas out of his thoughts, "So that is who you will attack. I suggest you go admittedly, the faster we get all the hearts, the quicker we can get in restoring Kingdom Hearts." They all nodded, the Organization members who were to accompany Roxas already leaving in their own dark portals to Radiant Garden.

Roxas stood where he was, his thoughts taking over him as he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't care; Namine was the only thing that mattered, be damn with everyone else.

He looked up at Xemnas, "I shall retrieve the heart and bring it back, stopping anyone who gets in my way." Xemnas smirked from Roxas's words, taking in account that his heart was turning so black that he didn't even process the thought of mercy to those who were dear to him; besides Namine, of course.

Roxas created a gateway behind him to cross over to Radiant Garden, stepping backwards into the void as he vanished within it. Xemnas's grin widened, feeling so pleased that everything was going according to plan.

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Squall took it upon himself to call himself Leon for reasons from his past suffering; but now, it seemed unnecessary as he looked at the woman beside him. He thought he had lost her and that he would never see her again, but now she was revealed to him that she was still alive and had given birth to his son; his son unbelievably being Sora, the Keyblade bearer.

Rinoa inched closer to Squall, her face peering forward to catch his gaze being locked on her. She smiled warmly, "What's on your mind, Squall, or should I say Leon?" Squall chuckled lightly, "Squall is more beneficial, now that everything is good again." Rinoa's smiled faltered, "You carried such guilt, thinking that you failed to save me." He bowed his head, shame overcoming him. Rinoa placed a consoling hand on his, "Did you believe by changing your name to Leon you could redeem yourself?" He nodded, refusing to look into her eyes as he stared out towards the old ruins of Hollow Bastion in the distant.

Rinoa placed her hand on his cheek to make him look at her, "It wasn't your fault, Squall." He spoke, his voice wavering, "I missed out on so much." She knew he was talking about Sora, "But you got to meet him, you helped him when he was lost. That proves that you can make things better, and be the father he deserves." She smiled, turning him around as she hugged him closely to her, "Let's not think about the past, but the future; no matter how unpredictable it gets. You, Sora, and I are together again, so let's make the best of it as a family." She beamed when she heard a light chortle from him, embracing him tighter.

Squall spoke as he grabbed onto her shoulder and pulled her away gently, "I just can't believe Sora is my son, I didn't really expect it. I mean, with the spiky hair and all, you wouldn't think he was our son, besides the fact he has my eyes and hair color." Rinoa laughed, "Trust me, it isn't natural. You wouldn't believe the bottle of gels that boy would buy to make his hair stand up like that." They both cackled over her comment, their son being so easy to tease about; but they loved him, truly they did.

Squall looked out at the sunset, "It's getting dark; we should head back to Merlin's place. Maybe Cid got some contact from Sora and the others on some news." She nodded, agreeing with the plan.

They both took off towards Merlin's place, both of them holding each others' hands as they strolled down their destination.

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Roxas was the last to appear from his own portal, everyone being gathered upon one of the rooftops of the village of Radiant Garden. Roxas noticed it was night time already; he wanted to do this quick so it wouldn't take all night.

Hexer spoke, his axe ready to attack, "So, what's the plan, Roxas?" Roxas looked down upon the quiet village, scouting any trace of civilians that may get in the way; if feasible, he wanted to try not to hurt as many people as possible, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to smoke out Leon. He wanted to make him vulnerable, so he wouldn't cause too much trouble for him in taking his heart.

He spoke lowly, his face containing a relax appearance, "I'm going to send my Samurai Nobodies out to attack the town. That way, Leon's friends could come out; when that happens, I want all of you to fight them back. After that, it would be impossible for them to get in my way in fighting against Leon and taking his heart." Linux ridiculed with a snide look, "What makes you so strong that you can him on your own?" Roxas gave her a displeasing look, his eyes glowing in the dark, "The same person who defeated Yen Sid and will rip your pretty mouth off if you mock me one more time." She dreaded over Roxas's words, but pushed it away as to not to make him look like she was terrified of him; even though she was. Roxas had defeated the almighty Yen Sid; he was clearly someone with tremendous power that shouldn't be poke fun at.

Roxas looked at everyone, cocking his head down, "Is that clear to everyone?" They all echoed a yes, except Larxene he only nodded with a sigh. Roxas was like a whole different person to her, yeah he was strong and a bit stoic at times, but he was never so brutal with his words that it made him sound so malevolent.

Roxas walked passed all of them as he lifted his hands, calling in the power of his dark aura. He summoned out his Samurai Nobodies, all of them already beginning to attack the town.

He slumped back composedly, his face lifted up in a dull behavior as he spoke with a firm voice, "The operation has begun; now do what I've ordered." They all nodded with an affirmative, jumping off the roof as they headed down on the village to begin their assault on the defenders of Radiant Garden. Larxene stood behind Roxas, her hand lifted up to touch him, but she declined the action. Instead, she confirmed her instructions from Roxas, "As you wish." She hopped off the roof, drawing out her kunais as she prepared for battle.

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Cid was clicking away on his computer, fixing up blueprints for the restoration on Radiant Garden. He was also waiting for contact from Sora and the others, seeing if they got the information they needed from Yen Sid about the Nobodies plot. He grumbled as he heard Yuffie next to him, "Any word yet from Sora and the others?" He shook his head, trying not to lose his temper from her asking the 100th time today, "Not yet, so shut your yap." Yuffie huffed as she placed her hands on her hips, glaring holes on the back of Cid's head.

She turned the other way to walk towards Aeris, who was playing with Pluto across the room. When she was half way in meeting with them though, an explosion could be heard from outside, screams from the civilians soon after. Cid shouted as he fell back from his chair, "What in tarnation!?" Merlin spoke in shock, "Oh my, what in the cosmos!?"

Yuffie spoke, grabbing onto her shuriken as a precaution of upcoming danger, "It's coming from outside." She sprinted across the room to open the door, only to be bombarded by Nobodies.

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Squall and Rinoa were close in heading inside the village from the gates, the both of them smiling in comfort. Rinoa gasped out in horror, though, when she saw the town being attacked by Nobodies. Squall turned his attention to what made her react in such a way, only to be shocked as well from the assail.

He pulled out his Gunblade right away, Rinoa pulling out her own weapon, the both of them charging into battle without a second thought.

Squall grinded his teeth together as he charged, "What is going on!?" His sword swung away a group of Nobodies as they turned into dust from his attack.

Roxas spotted them from the rooftop, his body disguised to merge within the darkness of the night, his eyes being the only visible indication of his presence being there. He spoke, his eyes blaring, "There he is." He paused noticing the woman who was beside him, "I'll just wait a little longer before I make my move." And so, he waited. He didn't plan on waiting too long though.

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Cid had grabbed onto his spear, getting ahead in front of Yuffie as he struck through the Nobodies, making them perish. Yuffie shook off her initial stun from the tackle she received, but got right back up on her feet. She turned to Aeris, "Aeris try to gather the townspeople somewhere safe! Heal the injured and take them somewhere where they can't get hurt!" She nodded, already taking Pluto to act upon it.

Merlin rushed towards Cid and Yuffie as they already exit out of the house to counterattack against the army of Nobodies. He shouted out to them, "Yuffie, Cid! I shall assist Aeris and everyone to safety with my magic!" They nodded with appreciation, trying to fend off as many Nobodies as they can.

Without their notice, a Samurai Nobody had entered inside the house. It scouted the room to see any prey to attack upon, but instead, it found a computer that looked good enough to destroy. It headed towards the supercomputer, raising its two swords before any voice could be heard to make contact. And at that moment, the Organization closed in on them.

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Sora spotted Radiant Garden at the distant, a smile blooming on his face on the idea of meeting with his parents again, but frowned as he knew the breaking news they had to tell them. Sora called out behind everyone, "Hey guys, we're here!" Everyone stood up from their seats, looking ahead to spot Radiant Garden. King Mickey though, didn't seem too happy; he felt like there was something wrong; he wasn't the only one, Riku and somehow Namine knew it too.

Mickey spoke up to Sora with distress, "Sora, call out to Merlin's house computer; try to make contact with anyone." He looked at Mickey with concern, but did as he was told, "This is Sora, is anybody there?" All they got was a scratchy static as their response. Riku spoke in a low tone, "I don't like this." Mickey grabbed hold of Sora's seat from behind, "Sora, land quickly! I feel trouble going down! The darkness is swirling all around here!" Sora reacted quickly from the King's demand, heading down to land with full speed.

They broke through the sphere surface of the world, and what they saw had petrified them to the core of their hearts.

Sora gazed down at the massacre, hearts floating up as the Nobodies attacked upon the small town. He gripped his hand on the wheel, his anger taking control over his heart. He found a clearing where he landed uneasily and harshly. Sora took off his seatbelt, already opening up the capsule to the ship and jumping out of it, drawing his Keyblade out; but before he could take off so irrationally, Riku had grabbed onto his shoulder. Sora forcibly shoved his hand off him, but Riku still persisted to hold him down before rushing off to fight.

Mickey's voice broke through the tension, "Sora, there is no time for you to act foolishly; rushing into battle with the state your heart is now, will only serve you to lose yourself." Sora persisted, "But your majesty!" Mickey had cut him off, "No buts! We must act upon helping the others together." Sora sulked, his Keyblade still tight in his grip. Mickey reassured him, "Sora, I know you're worried about your parents and the others but; if we go the way you are now, there is no telling what could happen. So please, calm down and let us all help each other together."

Kairi placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, hoping for him to see Mickey's reasoning. He nodded, knowing King Mickey was right.

They all jumped with surprise when they heard a familiar voice. They turned around to see Aeris, Merlin, and Pluto running towards them; Scrooge and the villagers following close behind them.

Merlin paused to a halt, "Everyone, you're back!" Sora spoke urgently, "Merlin, what's the situation; what's going on!?" He knew he was in a panic, but he couldn't help knowing that everyone was endanger; not only that, but he had a feeling that Roxas was part of the attack as well.

Aeris spoke, trying to relax her voice from squeaking out in terror, "I don't really know, all of a sudden, Nobodies just started attacking. I was ordered to take the villagers to safety, while the others try to fend off the Nobodies as best they can." Riku spoke, more to himself than towards everyone else, "With only a few of them to actually fight, they won't be able to make it." Sora growled from Riku's statement, knowing he was right.

Mickey spoke, knowing there was no time to stall, "Aeris, we need you to continue what you are doing." He looked back at Namine, "Take Nami-"

Before he knew it, Namine had dashed into his incomplete sentence, "I'm not letting you all go on your own. Besides, I have a feeling, there's something here." She placed a hand to her heart, which was all Sora needed to confirm his suspicions; so, Roxas was here.

He felt insecure on the idea of Namine coming along, but he knew she would have continued to insist that she go if they said no.

Sora nodded, agreeing with her, "Alright, you can come." Yen Sid's words of advice on watching over Namine coming inside his head, "But you have to stay close to me Namine; do you understand?" She nodded, already staying close to his side.

Mickey drew out his Keyblade, causing a chain reaction for Kairi and Riku to do the same, "Alright, we will all separate ourselves. Each of us will take sections of the districts, making sure to perish any Nobodies in your way. We might encounter members from Organization 13, so be careful." Everyone confirmed with a nod.

Mickey turned to the three fairies that cowardly stayed put inside the ship, "Merryweather, Fauna, and Flora, you three will go with Aeris and Merlin; lay low and help them in anyway you can." They granted his orders, flying out of the ship as they took to Aeris's side. Donald took out his staff, walking over to his uncle and three nephews, "Stay safe." They hugged Donald, repeating his words back to him.

And with that, they all left to find shelter, never turning back. Mickey took a stance, "Alright; Sora, you and Namine will go ahead by where the gates are. Goofy, you go with Kairi to the first district. Donald, you'll go with Riku to the second, and as for me, I'll defend off the Nobodies at the third. Well, with that said; let's go!"

They all dispersed at the same time, all of them charging to battle to the areas they were given with.

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Minx was with Hexer as they fought with Cid, they didn't even break a sweat when the engineer technician was already exhausted. Cid had to fight against the Nobodies and the members all at once, trying to buy time for reinforcement; he prayed that Sora and the others would come back soon.

Hexer snickered down at Cid, "Well, what do you suppose we do with him, sister?" She playfully took herself in deep thought, lifting her head up as she placed a hand on her chin, "I don't know; we could banish him to be lost in the darkness forever." Cid gasped from the suggestion, Minx grinned from his reaction. She pulled an arrow out of her basket that was tied around her, placing it between her fingers and bow. She pulled the arrow back with a tight grip towards Cid's heart.

She chuckled like an imp, "Or, we can just take his heart!" Cid had no time to block the arrow as she released it. Before Cid thought his heart was doomed to be stolen in the darkness, he heard a loud clank.

He looked up to see Goofy poised over him, his 'Save the King' shield deflecting the arrow from making contact to his chest. Right next to Goofy stood Kairi, her Princess Harp Keyblade drawn out and her body perching itself in a battle stance; her eyes burning with a fire to fight and protect her friend.

Hexer grinned, scoffing at Kairi with amusement, "Well, what do you know. It's the little princess of Radiant Garden; come to see the show I see?" Kairi made a light sound that sounded like a rumble, her eyebrows pushing down more magnitude upon her eyes with a fierce glare at the Organization member.

Cid spoke, shaking out of his shock of seeing Goofy and Kairi, "Youngin, Goofy; boy, am I glad to see you here!" Kairi turned to Cid for a split second, "Cid, are you alright?" He groaned as he straightened himself up, "Yeah, I'll be alright." He grabbed hold of his spear, getting himself back up on his feet for round 2.

Hexer looked perplexed, turning to his sister, "Minx, tell Roxas that we have company." She nodded, already jumping ahead on a roof. Kairi called out, "Hey wait!" She tried to go after her, but Hexer swung her back with his gigantic axe. She hissed in pain from the sudden impact, her feet screeching back. Hexer chuckled, "Oh no you don't, your fight is with me."

Kairi drew out her Keyblade forward, signaling a look towards Goofy and Cid, "Goofy, you and I will take this guy. Cid, try to fight off any Nobodies you can from interfering." After Kairi laid out her strategy, sweat poured down her face as they jumped into action; her heart beating against her chest with fright as the darkness pulled at it to rip out.

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Marxeus and Linux busied themselves with Yuffie in the second district, the ninja girl only being able to block their attacks than inflicting one of her own. She tried to throw her shuriken again, but Linux whipped it back with her lash; this caused the shuriken to propel itself against the wall behind Yuffie, making it cause a dent against the wall with cracks around it. Yuffie tried to retrieve her weapon from out of the wall, but she was punched in the stomach by one of Marxeus fists.

She twirled in the air, landing callously onto the floor, making her skin burn from the contact she received from the rough surface of the ground. Yuffie moaned in pain, trying to get herself back up on her feet, but it failed to be futile as she collapsed back down onto the floor.

Linux approached Yuffie slowly, her whip on the ready to strike against her defenseless back. But before she could make the blow, fire blazed in front of her, causing her to jump back away from the girl. Linux, Marxeus, and Yuffie turned to see Riku and Donald, the both of them drawing out their weapons in preparation for battle.

Yuffie sighed, barely lifting her body up from the floor, "Man, I'm glad you guys are here." She choked out a weak moan as she crumpled back down onto the ground. Riku took this time to rush towards Yuffie's side and tried to help her up. Donald stood in front of them, making sure to cast any magic at the members if they even dared to move.

Riku spoke to Yuffie with a soft voice, "Yuffie, can you continue to fight, or-"

She shrugged off his concern, "I can still fight, just…just…give me a sec." She tried to catch her breath. At this time, Donald had cured her with a curaga spell, making her feel rejuvenated to fight again. Yuffie went to grab her shuriken off the wall, already striking a pose for battle, as well as Donald and Riku.

Linux chuckled, her hands folding her whip and striking it against each other with a snap, "This is all very amusing, but I believe you've made a big mistake." Marxeus cracked his neck and hands, intimidating Riku and the others. She spoke again, "I guess you kiddies would just have to learn your lesson the hard way; by us ripping your hearts open, one, by one." She pulled her whip back, pulling it forward, but not with Donald casting a thundaga spell to ward it back at her. At this moment, Marxeus charged at Riku and Yuffie, the both of them charging at the large man with a sense of velocity and vigor. The three of them fought against the two with hopes in surviving the battle and leaving with their hearts.

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Mickey kept dashing left to right as he slashed Nobody after Nobody, his feet giving him the bounce he needed in blocking their attacks from harming him. Just before he was going to go on ahead after clearing the area, a bunch of kunais were thrown at his Keyblade, making it fall right out of his hand.

Mickey called his Keyblade back into his hands, the blade sparkling as it returned to him within a heartbeat. He looked up as he heard a light chuckle, his eyes opening wide to see Larxene, the 'Savage Nymph'.

She spoke with a pleasing tone, "Why, if it isn't King Mickey himself. I'm honored to have a chance in facing you." She looked at his Keyblade with wonder, "That's a good looking Keyblade you got there, but too bad it's all rusty; I mean, look at the poor scratches and worn out color." Mickey spoke, trying to get to the point to their meeting with a firm look, "Larxene, tell me; what is Xemnas planning to do to Kingdom Hearts?" She smirked, crossing her arms across her chest, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She spoke up with a lazy tone, "Unfortunately, I don't know what he's planning." Mickey asked, a little stumped towards her answer, "Then why do you even help him." She shook her head, glaring down at him, "I have my own personal reason; one that I won't tell to the likes of you!" She drew out more knives from her sleeves, hooking them around her fingers as lighting sparked around them.

Mickey jumped back, arranging himself for battle and bringing his Keyblade up to defend himself. Larxene gave a battle cry as she launched out her attack, thunder cascading down violently at him. He dodged them with quick reflexes, but was torn down as Larxene threw her kunais at him. He didn't expect the attack and was thrown back, some of the knives piercing his skin through his cloths. Larxene took this as her advantage to kick the small mouse across the area; Mickey's back hitting the wall with a loud crack. He slumped down to the ground, trying to pick himself back up. Larxene wouldn't allow it though as she ran towards him, her mini blades attached to her fists and ready to be brought down against the King's head. Mickey sensed the upcoming attack and somersaulted off the floor. He placed his feet on the wall and leaped forward with his Keyblade, striking Larxene back.

She gasped in surprise, but quickly shook away from the assault. She looked at Mickey who stared right back at her, their position ready for battle. This was going to be an interesting fight; and with that, they engaged in combat once more.

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Minx landed herself behind Roxas, who continued to stare down at the couple who were still engaged in battle. He kept summoning Samurai Nobodies each time they vanquished one, never giving them time to rest.

Minx carefully spoke, "Roxas; Sora and his friends have arrived and have employed battle with us. I believe Sora and Namine are heading your way towards Leon and Rinoa as we speak." He became startled from the news of Namine approaching, his mind racing with the thought of seeing her. He didn't have time; he needed to act now before they arrived.

He turned around to Minx, "Minx, return back to your brother and support him. I'll finish what we came here for." She struck out her hip and placed a hand upon it, "It's about time. I'll go on ahead then to help Hexer." She vanished as she took off back to where her brother was.

Roxas looked back down at Squall and Rinoa; he knew he was going to face some problems. He took no second thought on the matter though, jumping down from his perch and pulling out two of his Keyblades.

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Minx landed next to her brother who had just hit Cid on his arm, causing him to bleed from the sharp point of his axe. Minx spoke, already hauling out her bow and arrows at Kairi, "The plan is going underway; Roxas is salvaging the heart as we speak." Hexer smiled, knowing once they obtained the heart their mission was complete.

Kairi became nervous from the startling news, "Heart? Whose heart is Roxas after!?" They only grinned as their answer and once again attacked against Kairi and the others.

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Roxas landed in front of Squall and Rinoa, the Nobodies dispersing themselves without a trace. Squall and Rinoa froze where they stood, the both of them looking at Roxas with apprehension. Roxas had placed his hood up with precaution, worried that if he didn't finish his task by the time Sora and Namine arrived, he at least protected his identity from Namine.

Squall spoke, his voice demanding, "Who are you!? Are you in lead with Organization 13?" Roxas twirled his Keyblades around his hands, "Well, that's a stupid question. I thought the suit would have given it away for you." Squall didn't take the insult well as he made his Gunblade grow big with energy of strength, making it glow to a huge blade. Roxas didn't look impressed, "Is that suppose to scare me? Well, I can tell you now, it isn't working."

Squall ran towards Roxas, swinging his massive enhanced sword. He avoided it with ease, jumping up from his standpoint and leaping over Squall to the other side. Roxas swiftly turned around, shooting a dark beam though his hand to the tip of his Keyblade, and another one towards Rinoa with his other. Squall stumbled forward with a hiss of pain, his sword catching him from falling onto the floor. Rinoa was pushed back from the force, not expecting the attack so suddenly.

Roxas grinned under his hood, "Is that all you got? Come on, I know you two could do better than that." Before he knew it, a shine from Squall's blade came at him. Roxas used his splendid reflexes and docked from the aggressive attack, slouching over to the side and drawing one of his Keyblades back, before throwing it ahead at Squall like a boomerang. Just when the weapon was about to strike upon Squall's chest, a bladed ring countered it and impelled it back to Roxas's awaiting hand.

He caught his Keyblade, smirking over the action, "I must admit I didn't expect that, didn't think you be a threat." Squall called out to Rinoa as she approached next to him, "Rinoa!" Roxas spoke, "So, Rinoa is your name? Well then, guess I better act serious; now that I know I'm facing an apprentice sorceress."

Rinoa and Squall stood tall, preparing themselves from any type of attack from him. Roxas jeered, crouching himself into a stance with his Keyblades, "No more bullshit, I have a task to finish."

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Sora and Namine ran throughout the areas of the town, trying to reach their destination at the gate. Sora chopped away any Nobodies that got in their path, making sure to destroy every last one. Namine stood close behind Sora, making sure to stay close by him.

He grabbed hold of Namine's hand as they were almost there, "I hope everyone is okay." She spoke, picking up the pace to match with Sora's, "I'm sure their alright." They continued to pass through the paths that led to the gate.

Soon, Namine felt a prick against her chest as if something was wrong. She forced Sora to stop from the intrusion she received. He became alarmed, "Namine is something wrong?" She panted as she clutched to her chest, "I don't think so." She looked up at him, "Sora, I feel something terrible is about to happen." All of a sudden, Sora felt it too; it was like a swirling energy of darkness clouding over them, its negative force draining them to feel something heavy against their chest.

He turned around to see the gate just up ahead, the source of the darkness coming from there. Sora then heard what sound like clashing not too far ahead, and his parents' voices ringing in his ears as they sound like they were struggling.

Sora began to panic, a sickening feeling placing itself on his heart. He knew it had to be Roxas they were facing, and that wasn't good; the memory of Roxas stealing Yen Sid's heart came back to him.

Sora began to become frantic, "Namine, we got to hurry!" He lifted her up even as she protested, "My parents are in trouble!" He dashed, his hand gripping onto Namine's as they rushed over to the gates.

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Roxas kept blocking their attacks; he blocked and dodged from Squall's sword, and he countered Rinoa's magic and boomerang ring with his unique Keyblades. He was going nowhere with the pace he was in now; all he needed to do was to get a one on one chance with Squall to obtain what he came for. It proved futile though when Rinoa kept getting in his way in accomplishing that. He didn't really want to do it, but as it came down to it, he really didn't have a choice; he would probably be walking out of here with two hearts instead of one.

Roxas kept walking on his toes, circling around through Squall and Rinoa as they kept coming at him. They didn't get a chance to even make a mark on him, unlike him who had already caused some bruises and bleeding wounds. Roxas took his time to jump away from them, "This will have to end here, I'm afraid. I can't afford to waste any more time, I need to do what I came here to do." They looked confused, not understanding what the hooded member, unknown to them to be Roxas, was talking about.

In a quick impulse of speed, Roxas had got behind Rinoa without being detected. After that, everything was agonizing slow; a piercing scream ripped through the air as the Oathkeeper Keyblade struck behind Rinoa where her heart was. Squall's eyes widened painfully from the sight, his eyes combusting from the anguish he was experiencing all over his body. Roxas looked towards his face, feeling slight remorse; but he turned it down as he pulled out his Keyblade and stepped back.

Darkness started to engulf Rinoa's body as she collapsed onto the floor, an emptiness filling inside her missing heart. Rinoa's heart was still attached to the Oathkeeper's point; Roxas took it off as he grabbed hold of it in his hand, the dark sensation that was penetrating throughout his body tainting the heart.

He rotated slowly towards Squall as he leaped forward at him with an anguish cry. He saw no threat, his voice coming out coldly, "Perfect."

He leisurely pointed his Keyblade the Oblivion forward, its aim directed at Squall's advancing chest.

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Sora and Namine were descending down the hill and stairs that led to the gates. Sora was becoming restless of how long it took them to get there. Namine didn't complaint about the painful hold he had on her hand; she knew he was worried about his parents and was scared that something bad was going to happen to them.

They stepped down on the last step that would end their journey, and what they found before them in the middle of the area caused them to gasp in horror. Squall was on the ground next to Rinoa, their bodies covered with uprising darkness; and right near them stood a hooded Organization member who had two beating hearts in his hands. The hearts were infected by surrounding darkness, Roxas's touch enfolding them with his own shadows.

Roxas had Squall dangle off his Keyblade before Namine and Sora arrived; he had sensed them approaching and knew he had to finish his job quickly in order to disguise himself as just an ordinary Organization associate. He had even put away his Keyblades to hide himself from Namine, knowing he didn't want her to see him this way. He had just thrown Squall aside next to Rinoa when they had arrived, achieving both their hearts before they could intervene.

Sora so badly wanted to shout out in rage towards Roxas, he sensed it was him, he knew it was him under that hood; but he couldn't, knowing he made a promise as to not reveal him to Namine. He took his gaze upon his parents, the both of them slightly conscious as their hearts were fading into the abyss. He ran towards them, falling onto his knees as he tried to grab hold of them from slipping away. Tears were visible on Sora's face as he panted uncontrollably, his eyes becoming red as they became swollen.

Sora whispered out, his rushing tears drowning his lips, "M…Mo…Mom…Da….Dad…" Rinoa couldn't find her voice to reply to him; she only gave him a motherly smile as she started to fade away, Squall following close behind her.

Sora became hysterical, trying to lash onto them, but only resulted in falling through the dark clouds as they disappeared in thin air. He fell against the rough exterior of the ground, his breathing becoming irregular as he coughed out gulps of tears and oxygen, his voice coming out in whines. Namine had approached behind Sora, laying a hand on his arm and shoulder. She tried to console him, but she couldn't, not after what just happened.

She turned around to the cloaked menace, glaring at him with distaste as her own tears started to spring up. Roxas was taken back from Namine's face, his body shifting uncomfortably. He put the hearts away beneath his cloak, tucking them away in his pockets as he prepared to leave and tell the others that they have completed their assignment. He stopped dead in his track though when he heard a looming feral growl from behind him, "Where do you think you're going? You think you can just walk away, like nothing ever happened?"

Both Roxas and Namine whirled around to Sora, darkness luring all over him as it encased his body like a coat. The darkness spread all over his body, enticing him to let his heart open to darkness. As it took over his body and heart, Sora's usual blue eyes became tainted with yellow, the golden eyes of the Heartless taking over him. Roxas resisted an urge to pull out his Keyblades, knowing that Namine was there and it would give him away. He was going to have to rely on his instinct with fists and kicks, along with magic against this form of Sora, the one controlled by darkness.

Sora sprawled across the floor, the darkness creating claws at the tip of his fingers and making him claim the nature of a wild animal. The darkness floated all around, vapors of its dark influence coming out of his body. He bowed his head down, his body shaking wildly, a growing roar rising out of his chest and ready to be released.

The darkness that was surrounding him started to gather inside him; and as he lifted his head up, a loud roar shredded through the air. The blast of darkness that Sora had released pushed Namine back against the wall, making her yell out in pain. Roxas had defended himself by transforming his own powers into a barrier, but it didn't stop him from seeing what Sora did to Namine.

He growled out at Sora, his own anger rising to the limit. Roxas's eyes burst into rage, his gold orbs becoming bright and ominous as they shook. He wanted so much to just fight with Sora for harming Namine, but he realized it wasn't his fault. He knew Sora's true intention was to rip him apart for taking Squall and Rinoa away from him.

Roxas looked over at Namine, who had lost conscious from Sora's surge of fury. He knew he had to escape, but he couldn't, not when it meant leaving Namine on her own with Sora as the way he was.

Sora started to prowl towards Roxas slowly, getting himself ready to strike his prey. Roxas grinned, steadying his hands out beside him, "Seems like you have some darkness in you after all, Sora, but; there's a difference between you and I; when it comes to me, I at least no how to control myself from transforming into a mindless beast."

Sora charged at him with an aggressive swing from his callous claws. Roxas was able to survive the blow's lethal damage, but he still retrieved a gash from Sora's talons as he ripped through the cloth from his arm. Roxas hissed in irritation from the throbbing wound. With Anti-Sora focusing on Sora's current emotions, he knew he wasn't an opponent to take lightly with.

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Kairi froze in battle, her heart feeling heavy as she sensed Sora, her eyes widening as she felt something was troubling his heart.

She hit the on going arrows aside with ease, her concern being more on Sora than at the fight she had been engaged in for quite some time. She turned to Goofy and Cid, her eyes becoming concern, "Goofy, Cid! I feel something is wrong with Sora!" They both looked at her with dread, not liking the tone in her voice.

Minx at this point tried to sense what Kairi was talking about, and she was indeed right; something wasn't right. She looked at Hexer, "We're getting out of here. Get the others and tell them to leave. I'll get Roxas, I'm sure he finished the job." Hexer nodded, confirming her idea.

He took off, notifying the others that it was time to leave. Minx took her attention back at Kairi and the others, "Things are going to get hectic. I think it would be best to stop your boyfriend from his tantrum; his darkness is pouring out like a storm." She then vanished as she took off into the air, leaving her words to linger.

At this point, fear became evident on Kairi's face, "Oh no…" She took off without a word or thought to Goofy and Cid; the both of them shouting after her as they tried to catch up with her.

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Roxas continued to shift his feet as he repeatedly tried not to face another one of Anti-Sora's attacks. He kept drifting his eyes to Namine, making sure she was alright; even though she was already knocked out. This distraction gave Anti-Sora a chance to make a deep gash upon Roxas's cheek, the burning sensation from his claws causing him to cry out in pain.

Furious from the injury that was inflicted on him, Roxas curved his fingers to form energy of light in the palm of his hands. He thrust his hand forward, striking dark Sora's stomach, pushing him backwards against the ground. A scorching sound could be heard as he lied there, growling in pain from the blow he received.

Roxas heaved out a sigh, bringing himself up as he shook his hand from the feeling he received from casting such magic. Just then, Anti-Sora started to get back up again, its body moving awkwardly. Roxas groaned in frustration, already taking guard for another round with his former friend's heartless.

He turned around though when he heard Kairi's voice in the distant, "Sora!" She ran towards them, her eyes becoming alarm as she saw the form Sora was in. Behind her, surprisingly, was Goofy and Cid; the both of them growing alarm as well from the appearance Sora was in.

Kairi seethed at Roxas, "What did you do to him!?" He didn't answer, only looked away towards his opponent who kept snarling at him. He spoke, "I took something irreplaceable."

At that sudden second, Minx appeared behind him, "Roxas, did you get what we came here for already? We can't keep this up forever!" He nodded, confirming her question, "Yeah, we're done." He turned to her, "Are the others leaving now?" She nodded, "Hexer is telling them as we speak." Roxas looked content, knowing that everything was over with for now.

He glanced back at Sora, his Anti form whining softly as it snarled lightly at him. He then turned his gaze at Namine, her form lying peacefully on the ground after suffering the hit she received. If he really contained a heart, it thumped for her; he wanted to stay close to her, but was afraid she'll fade away in his arms. He took control over his desires though, knowing he had to get back to headquarters and prevent what he feared from happening.

He began to saunter over to Minx, who had already opened a portal for them to escape through. He spoke in a low tone, "I'm guessing King Mickey and the others will arrive here soon, let's go before they get here." She nodded, knowing that the others had probably already returned back by now.

She passed through the vortex, fading into its dimension. Roxas was about to enter inside, but not after turning around in time to see King Mickey and the others arriving. He whispered; his voice void with emotion, "I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be." He soon entered inside the entry way of the dark portal, the passageway dissolving into a misty haze as it blended itself within the air.

Riku ignored on the fact that Roxas had escaped, becoming alert as he saw that Sora wasn't himself. Yuffie had rushed towards Namine, checking on the comatose girl for any injuries. She sighed with relief knowing she was only unconscious and will hopefully wake up soon.

King Mickey firmly spoke with Riku, keeping himself steady as not to provoke Sora, "We must find a way to calm Sora down. At this rate, his heart will be entirely consumed by the darkness; his emotions wrestling in his mind." Kairi overheard Mickey's words, her focus lying on getting Sora back to her.

She started to approach him hesitantly, trying not to rile him up to attack her; though she had a feeling he would never hurt her.

Mickey noticed Kairi's motive, silently scolding her, "Kairi! Don't get near him! Sora isn't himself!" She ignored his warnings, continuing her way towards her boy, knowing he needed her for comfort.

Anti-Sora growled at her as she took a step closer to him, feeling his anger start to dissipate as he felt an overflowing blanket of light calling out from Kairi's light and love for him. She cooed at him softly, "Sora, it's alright, I know what you're feeling right now. Please, don't feed on your pain; I'm here with you now. Let me take the suffering away, even if it's just a little bit of it."

He flinched back as she finally came up to him, placing her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly to her. Kairi cringed as she felt her arms burn from the overflowing darkness that was escaping out of Sora's body. After awhile, he hugged her back, his Anti form settling down until he was back to his old self. Everyone had held their breath from the nervousness they felt, all of them praying that Kairi knew what she was doing. Fortunately, her light had succeeded in calming him down.

The dark vapors floated out of him, peeling off his skin as they vanished in the wind. His blue eyes had returned to their natural color, the yellow that possessed them fading away. Sora gasped out, his tears returning as the aftershock came back to him that his parents were gone.

Kairi cradled him in her arms as he held her tightly to him, his cry and wheezing loud enough for everyone to hear. She rocked him back and forth as he whispered, his voice breaking after each word, "They're gone…Kai…Kairi…the…they…they're go…gone…" She hushed him softly, already figuring out who he was talking about; his heart breaking as it echoed in her ears, along with his endless tears.

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Kiome-Yasha: "OMG!! It's actually finished!! I have to say, when I started typing this, I didn't expect it to be this long! I promise the next chapter won't be this long; I mean, long is good, but not this long. This chapter would have been longer because of the fight scenes I had planned, but I decided to cut it short; knowing it would have taken me forever to finish this chapter if I did. I hope you guys didn't wait too long; what am I saying, it's been three months since I last updated! FYI, if you all have noticed, the Gullwings are missing here; the reason for that is because they will be important to the next chapter. Also don't think I just revived the other Organization members for nothing, they'll have their moments, believe me. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be away for awhile; I'm going to South Korea and Japan this summer, being gone for a month. I'm really excited for the trip, considering it has always been my dream to travel to those countries and now I get to achieve that. I'll get back in updating the next chapter after my trip and when I update my FF7 fanfiction; until then, sayonara and annyǒnghi kyeseyo!"


	16. Revealing the Keyholes

Disclaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It's the sad truth."

Kiome-Yasha: "I haven't updated since forever, and I know you guys are upset about that and I'm sorry. I have to say though, South Korea and Japan was awesome, and I hope to go back there again someday with some friends of mine. I know I suck at updating, but it will be hard for me to update frequently since I came back to my new college semester as a sophomore. I'll try to update a chapter once in awhile, but remember I have a life too. Also, don't forget to review so I won't have to hear Namine and Roxas cry at night. FYI all the organization members will play a part of the plot, so don't think they're just there for show; my Nobodies are nothing compared to the originals."

Chapter 16 The Keyholes to Darkness

Roxas fazed through the portal, exhaling a long sigh of relief in making it back unscathed, and Namine still oblivious to his crimes. He wasn't surprised when he saw Xemnas standing in front of him with an evil satisfying grin plastered on his face. The other Nobodies that had accompanied him in the mission were standing behind him like obedient soldiers; all except Larxene.

Roxas dug through his pockets of his Organization outfit roughly, pulling out a bag that contained the hearts of Squall and Rinoa. He threw the bag at him, glaring at the man as he caught it was ease, "There, you satisfied? I hope you know what I went through to get those." Xemnas grinned, "And you will be rewarded with a nice rest. As of right now, this is all I need." He silently ordered Minx and the others to leave, finding no use for them at the moment. They all nodded, dispersing themselves in their own darkness.

He then turned to Roxas who continued to stand where he was, "You can go back to your room, Roxas. I'll call upon you again when the time comes. As of right now, I'm sure the Keyblade warriors and their friends are planning something to reach the World that never was; I will send the others to handle the dirty work in stopping them when the time comes." Roxas became concern, "Wait…what about…" He cut him off, "Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't cause any harm to Namine's pretty little head."

Roxas's glare intensified, not believing in Xemnas's words, but would have to believe in his judgment that he will keep his promise. He sighed, his shoulders dropping into a slump, "Fine, I'm returning to my room." And with that, he cleared himself out of the large corridor.

Xemnas smiled cynically, speaking softly but darkly as Roxas wasn't around, "Besides; Namine is the key to my plans. I would want her alive when the time comes."

He laughed lowly under his breath, walking down the corridor as he headed towards Vexen's lab.

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Sora gazed out into the empty blue plains that were left of Hollow Bastion, the abandoned stronghold of Xemnas's Heartless and his minions of villains falling apart from the distance. He sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to hold back tears, not wanting them to be revived from his hidden torment and sorrow. Things weren't suppose to turn out this way; he swore to himself that he would make Roxas pay for what he's done, but he found it difficult considering Namine's love for the damn boy.

He clutched his hands into fists, trying to ease his hatred as his nerves shook. He would never get the revenge that he deserved, not when Namine held him back from hurting or killing Roxas. Sora's eyes widen from his dark thoughts, his right hand clutching to his face as sweat poured down from his scalp. He whispered to himself silently, "Great, is that how a Keyblade bearer and hero suppose to think; maybe it's just an aftermath from my transformation." Memories that he could remember flashed in his head, making his heart cringe in pain.

He took deep breathes to calm himself, looking up into the blue mountains from the porch where he sat. The porch had an open view, and it was between the gates of Radiant Garden's village and the fortress of Ansem's laboratory.

Sora shivered from the breeze that passed by him, tickling his eyelashes as the urge to cry from his loss came back; but before he could shed a tear, a voice called out to him timidly, "Sora…"

He gasped slightly, turning around to see Kairi, her blue eyes crystallizing themselves from the dull sunlight and tears she held back. She spoke again, not knowing if he knew she was there, even if he was staring right at her face, "Sora, are you alright?" Kairi scolded herself; of course he wasn't alright. Both of his parents were killed before his very eyes, one that he had now discovered to be his father. He was hoping for the three of them to be a family again when their battle was all over; but now it was brought upon them, and it had cost them their lives. Sora would never have the dream he had wished for and desired.

He nodded, speaking in a low whisper, "I'll be fine. I just needed to clear my head a bit." Kairi walked up to him slowly, embracing Sora into a hug, but he didn't hug back as he sat callously on the porch. She shook in distraught over his cold reaction, but she should not have been surprised. She knew it would be awhile before he could be his cheerful self again.

Sora asked against Kairi's shoulder, "How's Namine?" She answered, slowly letting go of her embrace but not entirely, "She's still unconscious. But I'm sure she'll wake up soon, she did receive a bump on her head." Sora spoke with guilt, "That was my fault. If only I didn't let the darkness overcome me like it did. If I just had more control over it, Namine wouldn't have…" She shushed him with a light kiss on his cold lips, "It's not your fault, Sora. What Roxas did, it was unforgivable; but we have to remember, he's doing this for Namine and Namine alone. At this point, he doesn't care about anything else but her well being." She stood quiet for a minute, before speaking again, "The Organization is at fault here." He nodded, agreeing with her words as his eyes began to pick up more of his vibrant blue. He smiled lightly, "Thanks, Kairi." He then embraced her tightly, taking in the smell of her strawberry scent.

He let her go, asking his next concern, "Has his majesty explain the situation and plan to the others?" Kairi nodded, "He's talking to them right now, explaining everything that we have to do and what has happened to Yen Sid." Sora cursed under his breath, his heart overtaking the pain and sorrow of people he knew.

She sensed his troubled mind, finding it hard to come up with some way to help him out of his slump. She was connected with Sora, their hearts beating as one; it was hard to be with someone who was that close, and yet, so far. Kairi spoke regrettably, "We should head back to Merlin's place and get started on what we have to do. It's all we can do right now to help the people we lost." Sora nodded, lifting himself off the balcony, "Right."

Kairi gave Sora some space as they began to walk down the path to the village where Merlin's house was, Sora wouldn't have it though. He walked next to Kairi, grabbing hold onto her hand, and squeezing it tightly for comfort. She looked up at him in slight shock, but held his hand back with just enough force to embrace his. She had a feeling this was his way in seeking comfort; and she had let him hold her hand as long as he needed.

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Namine still rested inside a private room from within the wizard's house, sleeping soundly on the bed. Aerith was watching over her, healing the wounds she received when her body made contact against the rock cement wall. She could hear the others inside the other room, listening into the conversation since it was important to her too. She became weary over each word that was spoken and exchange by them, knowing the danger they will have to face. She prayed that they wouldn't lose more people to the darkness that was slowly but surely growing.

After awhile, she heard the door to the house open. She got up silently, wondering if it was Sora and Kairi who came in. When she opened the door quietly, she discovered she was right. She gave a soft smile from seeing them, but it quickly withered when she saw Sora's expression.

He spoke, his voice low and melancholy, "How's Namine?" She shook her head, "She's still resting, but I heal the wounds she had." He shivered; knowing the injuries that was inflicted on his friend was of his own doing. He became relaxed though when he felt Kairi's hand on his stiff shoulder.

King Mickey took this opportunity to speak up, "Things will be a lot more difficult with Leon gone, but we're going to have to make due. We're just going to have to try in containing some form of defense against the darkness once we open up the keyholes." Riku took this time to speak, "We explained everything to Cid and the others. All we need to do now is wait for Namine to wake up and for Cid, Chip, and Dale to finish the Gummi ships. In the meantime, we can try to find the keyhole here at Radiant Garden." Sora agreed, actually listening half of the information that was given to him.

Riku took charge in speaking the rest of the plan, "Mickey and I decided the teams for when we split up to different parts of the worlds. Donald and I would be one, Goofy and Kairi would be another, and King Mickey would be one by himself." He turned to Sora, "Sora, Namine will be with you. It's not safe for her to remain here without any protection from you. Yen Sid would have preferred it that way, at least, that is what Mickey believes." Sora nodded, remembering his promise to the wizard to protect Namine at any cost; even if it was from Roxas.

Cid jumped off from his chair, speaking in a determine tone, "Leave everything to me and the rodents! I'll get your airships done in a jiffy!" Both Chip and Dale glared at Cid as they perched themselves on his shoulder, "What do you mean by rodents!?" Everyone laughed, all except Sora who was usually the most cheerful of them all. Kairi seemed to notice, which created her own laughter to die down.

She spoke, wanting to get matters at hand, "What should we do, while Cid, Chip, and Dale work on the Gummi ships?" Mickey turned to Kairi, already planning ahead, "Like Riku said, we'll open the keyhole here in the meantime. We need to make sure this plan of mine will work." Sora became alert, "Are you sure about this, your majesty? I mean…" Mickey silent him from his fear with a wave of his hand, "We must do what we must, Sora. That is why the Keyblade chose you, for your heart must be strong in decisions like these." Yuffie chimed in, trying to reassure Sora, "Everything we'll be fine, Sora. We can handle ourselves."

This made Sora angry, shouting at them, "Oh yeah! Not too long ago, you guys were about to be dead from the Organization! If we didn't show up in time…! If we could have just gotten here sooner….!" He choked out a sob, trying to hold back his weakness but failed miserably. Mickey's expression became one of pain, remembering how hard it was for Sora at this time to think of more people he cared about dying.

Riku cut through the silent, turning to Cid, "Cid, you and others start working on the Gummi ships right away." He nodded, leaving the house to his private garage to get cracking on his assignment. Riku then turned to Aerith, "Aerith, keep watch over Namine, if there is any change to her condition, make sure you tell us right away." She nodded, returning back inside the room to the unconscious girl.

He then turned his attention back to Sora, "Sora, when you locked the keyhole here, where was it?" Sora digs through his large pockets, pulling out a purple pinkish card, "This is what the Keyblade reacted to, revealing the keyhole to me last time I was here." Merlin spoke, clarifying a clue, "If we make the card react again to the Keyblade, I'm sure the keyhole will reveal itself once more!" Everyone that remained in the room nodded, believing the idea to work.

Kairi spoke, placing a hand on Sora's, "Sora, are you prepared for this." He nodded slowly, looking up towards everyone with some color back into his eyes, "Yeah, I'm ready; but lets go outside and do this." They agreed, stepping out of the cottage and into the open street of Radiant Garden's village.

Sora breathed out a sigh, "Well, here goes nothing." He magically took out his Keyblade, the blade shining from the magic dust it produced. Kairi held onto the card, hoping it would work as well as the others. Sora pointed his Keyblade to the object, counting down the seconds of him remaining in that position. When nothing happened, everyone became discouraged.

Donald spoke, his face matching his tone of concern, "I don't get it, why isn't it working?" Mickey approached the card in Kairi's hand, taking it away from her and examining its surrounding. He spoke, "This card has lost its magic in revealing the keyhole. If that's true, so did the other artifacts in the other worlds as well." Sora became desperate, "So what are we suppose to do, twiddle our thumbs!?" Mickey's eyebrows cringed down in annoyance towards the situation, "I don't know, but we must think of another way in finding the keyholes quickly."

Everyone stood silent, trying to pick up some idea in where to start. Sora only had one, and he was pretty sure Namine could help with his theory.

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Roxas opened the door to his room, the pitch black darkness that penetrated from it surrounding him. He kept scratching his eyes as if they were on fire, but he ignored the stinging feeling as he always did. He closed the door, flopping himself onto his bed as he tried to get some rest, but found that he couldn't. He lifted his hand to his face, an eye poking out from out of the covers. Roxas moaned out in sorrow as he was pretty positive that he could still see the hearts that he had taken so violently in his hand.

He remained in that position for awhile, his mind drifting towards Namine. He took the nearest pillow from his bed, snuggling against it as tightly as he could, trying to drown out her screams when she was thrown against the wall. He couldn't take not being near her and protecting her, he was slowly losing his way to the darkness without the light she gave him. But he couldn't return, not now; not when he was so close to the answers he so desperately sought. He just wanted the next mission already so he can save her and get back to her as soon as possible.

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Xemnas walked towards the lab in the castle of World that never was, planning to deliver the hearts that Roxas had fought to get for them. He entered the lab, finding the cackling voice of Vexen as he kept each heart they received in their own separate containers; it was the beginning of their process in restoring Kingdom Hearts.

Vexen snickered as he turned around to see Xemnas, holding new fresh hearts in his hand. Xemnas spoke in his rich voice, "I expect the project is going smoothly, Vexen?" He cackled once again with his trademark laugh of insanity, "Yes, I say that it is going down exactly how I calculated. My theories are never wrong." Xemnas chuckled slightly, "Says the man who had lost his heart." Vexen's smile was cut off from his face from such a comment, ignoring it as he did not want to anger his Superior.

Xemnas tossed the bag that contained the hearts, "Some new formulas for our experiment." Vexen grinned madly as he held the bag, feeling the hearts wiggle and pulse from within, "I shall get back to work right away then." He turned around from his chair, already emptying the bag, "With these hearts and the wizard's we'll be able to accomplish our goal with ease." Xemnas turned around, already planning to make his exit, "Good, I shall return to hear the progress we made later." And with that, he was gone from within the dark room, leaving the mad scientist with only the smallest slimmer of light that each heart slowly, but surely held.

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Namine was slowly gaining consciousness, finding it strange that she didn't have another dream inside Roxas's heart like she usually did when she passed out. This made her concern for Axel even more, wondering if he was alright; considering the last time she saw him he was facing this large dark Heartless from the darkness. She whined, the beaming light from the window bothering her sleepy eyes as she opened them. She heard a gasp, but couldn't care or know who it was coming from. She continued to whimper about the light, 'Make the light go away.'

When she heard Kairi's voice though, she opened her eyes widely and turned to her. Sora, Riku, and the others were close behind her, becoming glad to know she was awake. Sora asked, already jumping to her side, "Namine, are you alright!? Forgive me; I know what happened was my fault." She shook her head, smiling, "I don't remember much of anything, but it's not your fault, Sora. Besides, I'm alright now." Namine slowly got up, but cringed as she felt her insides turn, she looked down at her side without anyone noticing, already seeing her waist vanishing before her eyes. She concentrated in bringing it back whole again, refusing to fuse with Kairi until they found Roxas.

Talking about Kairi and merging, she spoke out with concern, "Namine, maybe you shouldn't be out for awhile. I think your condition is becoming worse." She shook her head, "No Kairi, you know that I won't." Kairi sighed, nodding her head in understanding. Sora took this time not to waste in asking Namine his question, believing that she held the key in fixing their problem. He just had a feeling that she held more power than anyone else in the room, besides controlling their memories. It was something he figured out when he had that short conversation with King Mickey and Yen Sid before his heart was taken. The only question that kept springing forth now was why and for what purpose?

He took Namine's hand, trying to settle his nerves as well as hers, "Namine, I know this might come to be confusing for you, but I need to know something from you." She looked at him with apprehension, not knowing what he wanted to ask, "I need to know if you know anything more to your powers than controlling memories. I mean, do you remember how or why you were able to penetrate light from within you, when we were at Yen Sid's tower?" Namine became aghast, remembering the phenomenon from happening, but never quite understanding herself of how it happened.

Mickey became alert to what Sora was talking about, feeling as though he was going somewhere with this. He asked Riku, becoming confused, "Light?" Riku explained, remembering the warm light they had all felt from that moment in time. He clarified to the King that he was knocked out at that time when it happened.

Knowing this, Mickey had an idea to bring forth that light again; hoping with his method, Namine could reveal the keyholes to them as Sora believes she can.

He approached the two, making them become alert towards his posture, "Sora, Namine, I believe I know a way in finding the solution to our problem. I think Sora believes you hold the answer to that Namine; if you can just follow me, I think we can bring back that light we are looking for within you."

Namine nodded, not quite understanding herself even more than usual. She was so confused and weak that she couldn't quite find the strength in wanting to find out more of what she was capable of. She tried to get up from the bed though, not wanting to disappoint everyone. Standing with shaking legs, she felt as though she was either going to fall, throw up, or faint; which ever one came first. But before she could make any as a result, Sora grabbed hold of her, making sure she didn't collapse again.

Namine nodded to him as thanks, pushing him away lightly to prove she can hold her own. She looked down at Mickey, "I'm ready, let's go." They all headed outside, preparing to whatever plan the King had in his head, hoping that it would work in solving the locked keyholes.

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Deep within the darkness, a dark hooded feminine figure stood in the back of an empty heart. She felt nostalgia catch up to her again as she remembered the fiery red hair nobody she had faced and saved not too long ago. She sighed, placing her hands in front of her face as she stopped herself from crying out in pain. She really was withering away, feeling her body weakening itself again from her using her powers. She couldn't help it though; she had to save an old friend; even if he was lost as she was in this empty void of darkness.

She laughed, realizing he didn't quite remember her. It was probably for the best anyway; Namine's powers truly do hold wonder.

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Roxas sprang forth from his bed, realizing he had fallen asleep and had yet another nightmare of losing Namine. He felt more of these dreams deep inside his heart each day that passed without him being by her side. He wiped the drool that came down from the corner of his mouth, ignoring his nightmare as just doubts and fear. He believed it won't happen as long as he continued his assignments for Xemnas; although he grudgingly did what he was told to do.

Soon after, he heard a knock come from his door. Groaning from just waking up, Roxas got up from his bed to open the door, only to see nobody other than Xigbar himself. Xigbar waved a hand out of greeting with a huge grin on his face, "Hey, little buddy!" Roxas growled, always becoming annoyed of Xigbar calling him that. He sighed, showing a strong hint of aggravation in seeing the patch eye man, "What is it, Xigbar?"

The nobody spoke, becoming serious, "You have another assignment-" then he grinned, "-and guess who is your partner." Roxas groaned as memories came back to him of Xigbar being the first person he had to work with when he had joined the Organization.

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They all reached the outside border of Radiant Garden, King Mickey leading Namine to a pacific center. Everyone surrounded them, waiting and anticipating on the action the King was going to take. He soon ordered Namine, "Namine, I need you to crutch down before me." She did what she was told, becoming alarmed when Mickey pulled out his Keyblade in front of her. Sora and the other braced themselves, Riku questioning the King's method, "Your Majesty! What are you planning to do!?"

Mickey reassured them, "Don't worry, fellas. Trust me, I believe this will work. I need to unlock the light that Namine holds deep within her to reveal the keyholes." Kairi asked becoming confused, "How will Namine get affected by this? How come it's something only she can do?" Mickey remained silent, knowing he held so much more knowledge over the secret of the world between darkness and light than any of them, but he knew he couldn't speak such secrets yet. Plus, he wasn't sure too much of why Namine held such power anyway; he was just as clueless as they were.

He spoke, not wanting to keep them waiting for his answer, "I'm not too sure, but I believe this to be the only way in finding out." He placed the tip of his Keyblade in front of Namine's chest, directly towards were a heart would be. He commanded Namine to take the next step, "Namine, take hold of the blade and place it lightly upon where your heart should be. Hopefully, this will work." Everyone gathered closer in eagerness, contemplating on what might happen.

Namine placed her delicate hands upon the key shaped blade, placing it gently upon the left side of her chest. It was quiet for awhile, until a flash of light sparkled around her, making Namine's eyes widen from the strange warmth that awaken within her. The light spread all around them shooting a beam of light up above her as it grew from the contact of the Keyblade. Everyone shielded themselves from the light, shouting from the blindness that affected their eyes. Namine shouted out in pain, seeing the keyhole appear right above her as it flashed itself in her sight. She pointed above her, "There!" As she said that, she collapsed forward, gripping her chest as Mickey withdrew his Keyblade from her. Sora took this time to dash forward, throwing out his own Keyblade as he pointed above the keyhole that had suddenly appeared.

The light continued to spread, taking itself to fly across the other worlds that existed within the stars and darkness. Riku swore he could have felt all the keyholes appearing in each world, the darkness revealing itself from the light that came mysteriously from Namine. Soon, a crown appeared under Sora, making him take a firm grasp onto his Keyblade as he shot it up towards the large keyhole. A beam of light shot at the opening, unlocking the darkness that Sora had kept so hard to keep shot.

Kairi took this time to rush towards Namine, finding she wasn't unconscious, just weak. Sora stepped back as the darkness started to surround the keyhole, discovering that there was some type of heartless escaping out of it. He began to panic, shouting towards everyone as he drew his Keyblade back, "Everyone, step back! Something is coming out!" Everyone drew back, seeing the darkness form into a large creature, but Donald, Goofy, and Riku held their ground as they prepared for an upcoming battle.

Mickey ordered Kairi as he rushed towards Sora's side, "Kairi, keep Namine back and protect her!" She did just that, helping Namine up as they took towards a safe corner.

The creature completely formed itself, its beady yellow eyes burning violently. It had dark claws of mist coming out of its sharp talons, and it had misty formed dark wings coming out of its ape shaped back. It had antennas on top of its head like a regular heartless would, but they twitched madly as it took its surroundings. It roared, revealing its ferocious long fangs, including the ones that opened upon its guts. It thrashed around violently, attacking carelessly as the mindless beast it was, looking for a heart to eat and possess.

Sora spoke, gritting his teeth, "This is what I was afraid of." He charged at the large heartless, already shifting into Valor form. He soon drew out another Keyblade, already swinging both of them at the creature's head, but before he could land a blow, the heartless swung a large arm at Sora. He shouted in pain from the contact he came into from the monster's horned elbow, flying across the air as he was thrown back. Riku took this time to attack as well, Donald casting a cura spell on Sora.

Riku dash forward, slicing the heartless's arm as he jumped forward with his Keyblade. He took a fair amount of damage from the beast, but was knocked down as it roared out in pain and punched Riku down against the pavement. Riku groaned in pain against the ground, trying to pull himself back up, but had difficulty from the heavy force that had pulled him down. Sora took this time to recover himself, charging at the same time with Mickey and Goofy as they prepared to do some sort of trinity attack.

Goofy jumped above the heartless as he smashed his shield upon its head. Sora took this time to cast firaga against the heartless's chest, slicing his Keyblade upward from under its chin; this caused the beast to be lifted upon the air. Mickey jumped forward at this moment to swing his Keyblade fiercely at whatever opening he found to attack upon. At this chance, Riku got back up on his feet to shoot his dark aura blasts at the heartless, Donald following along as he shot thundaga at it.

The battle was cut short as the beast roared out in pain and vanished within the sky as its darkness dispersed into the wind, a heart floating away. All of them took a deep breath, letting it out with relief that the battle was over and quick.

Aerith rushed over, hoping to heal any of them, "Is everyone alright?" They all nodded, not needing her assistance as they were all okay. She sighed with relief, glad that no one was severely hurt. Everyone took this time to gather around the keyhole, seeing that it was still above them.

Kairi held tightly onto Namine, fearing that she may faint at any moment. Sora rushed over to them, "Namine, are you alright?" He wasn't sure if any of this had an affect on her, so he needed to make sure she was fine after what happened. She nodded; sweat appearing on her face, "I'm fine, just a little restless is all." She smiled to reassure them that she was going to be okay, although she didn't know what had just happened to her.

King Mickey continued to look up at the keyhole, "Well, it's settled itself for now, but there's no doubt that more heartless will be coming out soon; but for now, the crisis is over." Sora glared determinedly at Mickey, wanting answers onto what just happened and why was Namine able to reveal the keyhole to them; but decided against it as no one else dared to question it either. He planned to find all the answers himself when they continue on with their quest.

Shortly Riku spoke, not liking the idea of them hanging around the area, "We should get back to Merlin's shack. I don't like the feeling I'm getting from here." Mickey nodded, "Agreed, we accomplished what we came here for." They all began to head back, wanting to forget the phenomenon that just happened.

Sora stood by the girls' side for a moment before motioning them to follow as well, "They're right; let's get away from here. This is only the first step in passing through the World that never was again." They nodded, following everyone else back to the small town. As they continued off their walk, Namine whispered disquietly, "I hope Cid, Chip and Dale finished the Gummi ships." She looked up at the sky then back to the floating keyhole, "Roxas…" Her face became downcast as she thought of him, '_Please be safe, I want to find you and see you again; hopefully soon.'_

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Roxas followed Xigbar down the long white halls of the castle, wondering where he was going to be sent to now. He couldn't believe he would have to be partnered with Xigbar again, considering he was his first teammate when it came to his missions in the Organization.

He walked miserably along the way, Xigbar humming a catchy tune as they headed towards the Nobodies hall to meet with Xemnas. Roxas wasn't thrilled with that part, seeing that he couldn't completely trust their Superior to whatever plan he was foreboding on. He was also guessing the reason why Xigbar became his partner for his next assignment was because of the fact they make a good team in combat; while he could handle himself in close range attacks on the offensive line, Xigbar was handy on the defense. This particular strategy was why they made a perfect combat team in their missions.

Xigbar announced they had reached the doors, already opening them as he snapped Roxas out of his thoughts. They were met with their leader's back, who slowly turned around as he heard the doors opened.

Roxas glared at him as usual, Xemnas taking no affect on this as he was use to it. Roxas spoke, already wanting to get down to business, "So, what is our next mission already?" Their leader spoke, grinning with delight, "Both of you have been assigned to go to Halloween town, where you are to retrieve the next heart for me." Xigbar spoke, becoming excited that he was about to get some action, "Dude, now we're talking. Halloween town; haven't been there for years."

Xemnas spoke, wanting to get things settled, "You are to be sent there admittedly after you are prepared. When you are, I will tell you the heart who I want you to get is." They nodded, already leaving to get whatever they needed.

Roxas knew he didn't need anything, besides a little time to think. He headed down the hall, but now too far where he was to meet up with Xemnas and Xigbar again. His thoughts kept drifting to Namine, knowing what he was doing was all for her. He couldn't help but to repeat this to himself almost every second; it made him think and feel better when he took the hearts of those that didn't deserve it. It made him feel like he was doing something out of good intention, instead of bad ones. All of a sudden, he grasped strongly onto his leather organization coat as if he was choking from the inside, the hollowness inside him becoming stronger as he kept trying to think of Namine. He fell down to the floor, groaning and gasping in pain as he tried to get air back into him. A light was surely dying, and he felt it for some reason; something deep within himself.

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Kiome-Yasha: "Finally, I have updated. I hope I get happy reviews for this. It isn't worth it if I don't, lol, just kidding (although it's true.) Anyway, you can get where Roxas is headed now, and with Xigbar no less! (I read some articles that Xigbar and Roxas were partners before from the upcoming 358/2 days.) Don't worry Gar; I've been catching up on Kingdom Hearts as much as you have. I'm sure not to forget the latest updates on things; they do help a lot with my fanfiction more because of it; which is the reason how I got out of my writer's block! That was until my semester started being a drag, but it's over now and I could get back to this fanfiction. Anyway, until the next chapter! FYI, next chapter will be interesting (won't say how.) Review now by pressing the green words right underneath XD!"


	17. Halloween Town part I

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts; if I did, Xion wouldn't be so close to Roxas."

Kiome-Yasha: "Wow, I think this is the quickest I ever updated for my Kingdom hearts fic; yeah it's been two months since my last update, but it used to be more than that. Not only that, I've been having the Kingdom Hearts fever lately, considering with all the news we've been getting of the latest video games. Anyway, this chapter was really fun to think of, considering it's about my second favorite world "Halloween Town". I also decided to keep things simple, but exciting for the remainder of this fic. The reason being is because I don't want to focus so much on everyone's POV in each world, only Sora's and Namine's. I want to do this because; I don't want to waste anymore time on this fic than I already have. After all, there is a sequel to this fic. Don't worry the deleted scenes aren't important to be missed, just fillers."

Chap 17 Halloween Town Part 1

Sora and the others made it back to Merlin's cottage, spotting Cid with Chip and Dale on his shoulder in the distant. Pluto ran up to them, already attacking Mickey with licks of kisses as he was worried. Mickey complaint happily, "Down boy! I'm alright."

Cid walked up to them as they neared them, "Glad to see you're alright! What in tarnation happened? All of a sudden, the sky was lit up with beams of light that escaped outside the border of Radiant Garden!" Riku spoke, trying to clear a path for Namine to walk through, considering her tired state, "We will explain when we get inside."

Sora spoke at this moment to Cid, "Cid, are the Gummi ships ready?" He looked insulted, "Of course there ready! Got them done a long time ago! They don't call me Cid Highwind for nothing!" He chuckled, knowing he should have known better that Cid would get the job done. It was at this time that Chip decided to intervene, "Hey, Dale and I helped with most of the work!" Cid scratched the back of his head, "Hehe, sorry about that, rats." Dale yelled in his deep but chipmunk tone, "For the last time, were not rats!"

Mickey spoke, feeling glad that the Gummi ships were done, "That's good to hear, everyone. We should leave right away! But first, let's decide inside on which world we should go to for each group." They all nodded, heading inside Merlin's house to recuperate and discuss on their mission.

Kairi held onto Namine as they walked inside, settling her down on a seat that was close to them. Namine sat down gently, trying to catch her breath, but she seemed fine for the most part. Sora bent down to her as Mickey and Riku gave Cid the heads up, "Namine, are you alright? We'll be leaving as soon as possible; that way, you can see Roxas again soon." She nodded, feeling glad that they weren't wasting anymore time, but she knew they had to hurry; in case the worlds were in danger from the dark keyholes opening up. They also needed to strike now while the iron was hot, before Organization 13 made their next move in taking another heart.

Mickey spoke, signaling that he had finished explaining everything to Cid on what happened, "Alright, now that the keyholes are opened, thanks to Nami-" Sora cut him off, "Why Namine, your majesty!?" He was becoming angry and confused to what it all meant, "Why is she the one able to open the keyholes!?" Kairi pulled him back, making sure he didn't lose his head over his short temper.

Mickey looked solemnly at Sora, "That's what we need to figure out, Sora. I don't hold many answers as you do." Sora felt like he was lying, but he kept quiet, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

Aerith spoke, clasping her hands together, "Now that the keyholes around each world has opened, you all must make haste; before we lose more hearts to the darkness." They all nodded, Mickey pulling out a map of all the worlds they have gone to; starting with them as the nearest ones that were affected by the Keyholes of darkness opening up. Sora and everyone closed in behind him, wondering what location they would go to.

Mickey spoke, pointing to the Land of the Dragons, "Riku, you and Donald shall go here." He then pointed to Disney Castle, "I shall go here, and there I will handle both keyholes of the castle and Timeless River." He looked at Goofy and Kairi, "Kairi, you and Goofy shall go to Tron's world here at Radiant Garden, opening up the keyhole there of darkness." He finally looked at Namine and Sora, "You two shall go to Halloween Town. I know it's far, but I'm hoping to clear some worlds that are distant from here." They nodded, understanding the worlds they were given to go to.

Cid spoke aloud among them, "Well then, we should get you guys heading out now." They turned around, following Cid as he began to lead them to his garage.

Sora turned around to Kairi who held onto Namine, Goofy also helping her get up. He spoke, his face becoming distressed, "Kairi, Goofy, be careful in Tron's world. There might already by digital heartless around." Kairi nodded, hugging Sora to be careful as well.

Riku spoke behind them, "We must hurry. We need to be quick about this as possible." Sora nodded, letting Kairi go as she kissed him sweetly on the cheek. He took hold of Namine as she began walking towards him, making sure she didn't faint again.

Sora turned to the others who stayed in the room, "Are you sure all of you will be alright in fighting off any heartless here? I mean, without Leon, without my fat-"Aerith cut him in, "We will be fine, we have enough forces here to push them back if needed to." Yuffie nodded, "Yeah, and besides I'm here. I'll make sure to give those Organization 13 guys a good beating if they ever came back." Sora was about say how they were almost destroyed from Organization 13's attack, but he halted himself to remember that; it would only make him worry more.

He half smiled, jumping back when he saw Yuna, Paine, and Rikku pop out all of a sudden in front of him. Yuna spoke happily, "Were back from our treasure hunt!" They looked around them to see sad smiles on everyone's face. Rikku asked, "Whoa, what happened to make everyone so glum?" Paine decided to stay quiet, not knowing what it all meant.

Yuffie took charge, not bothering to create more drama then needed to, "Alright, you little pixies! We need your help to defend Radiant Garden from Heartless and Nobodies as best you flying bugs can!" Yuna huffed, "How rude!" Rikku puffed her fists, "How dare you speak to us treasure hunters that way!?" Paine only sighed, putting herself as the mature one, "Understood." They gasped, looking at her with disbelief, "Paine!" She spoke monotonously, "It's best not to angry about it, just do what she says. It's obvious something important happened." Yuffie was glad that Paine understood, "Great, I need you guys to start patrolling around the parameters, make sure no one suspicious comes and plans to hurt anyone in the village." They nodded, "Alright!"

The three little pixies took off, disappearing in a flash of dust. Yuffie reassured Sora, "See, we have everything handled here. Now you guys go and save the worlds!" He nodded, finally getting over his fear as he told Namine they had to hurry and leave. She nodded, looking back at everyone, "We'll see you all soon. Please, be careful." Kairi smiled kindly, "Don't worry, Namine. You be careful as well. And Sora…" She caught his attention, "Look after, Namine. I'll hurt you if anything happens to her." Yuffie spoke, "The same goes for me and everyone else here!"

Namine blushed; she never knew how much her friends truly cared for her. She felt glad that she could feel such a warm feeling like this; it was just too bad that Roxas wasn't there to share it with her.

Sora grinned, "Don't worry, I'll keep her safe!" He grabbed hold of her hand and led her away, following Riku towards the garage.

Kairi looked at his back as he took off, "Please, be safe Sora." She turned towards Goofy, "Goofy, we should start heading towards the computer where Tron's world is." He nodded in agreement, prepared to undertake their assignment from the King.

Kairi looked at Aerith, "Aerith, do you think you can lead us there. I really don't know where it is by heart." She nodded, "I'll be happy too." She then led them outside towards Ansem's lab, knowing how anxious they were in trying to get Roxas back.

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Namine was amazed when the metal door skimmed up, revealing the new Gummi Ships in there most glorious upgrade. She spoke in awe, "Amazing, I didn't think they could build Gummi ships like this in a matter of a day." Sora smiled, "That's Cid, Chip and Dale for you. Come on, we need to hurry." He hurried Namine towards the upper deck, where everyone was waiting for them.

Mickey was already in his cockpit, checking the status of his Gummi ship as to be sure everything was in the clear. He spoke cheerfully with his trademark laugh, "Alright, ha-ha, everything looks like there in order." Donald spoke from the other Gummi ship, "Everything seems clear here too, your majesty!" Riku nodded from the deck, "Good, we can leave as soon as were ready." He started getting into his own cockpit with Donald, taking the wheel as he settled himself down.

Cid turned to Sora and Namine, "You younglings get onboard as well; we can handle things here." Sora nodded, climbing into their Gummi ship that was custom made by Cid. He helped Namine inside the ship, settling her in her own seat.

He looked back at Cid as they prepared to lunch, "We're all settled in, Cid. You can give us the signal for lunch anytime." He nodded, looking towards Mickey and Riku who also confirmed that they were ready. He grinned, pointing his toothpick upwards between his lips, "Alright then, lets get you cowboys ready to go then." He headed towards the control panels, opening up three different hatches above each Gummi Ship.

Mickey was the first to get lifted, powering up his ship to turbo speed as he was launched into dimensional space. Riku and Donald followed soon after. Gripping onto the wheel tightly, Riku pressed forward for launch, and with that; Donald and him were off to the Land of Dragons. Soon, there was only Sora and Namine left, their scanner map creating a path that led to Halloween Town with green blinking dots.

Sora turned to Namine who sat next to him, her hands gripping onto her seat, "Are you ready, Namine? We're about to take-off." She nodded, having only Roxas in her mind as she looked at the map of their destination, "I'm ready." She murmured her words, the Gummi ship's engine drowning her words out as she looked at her lap.

Sora nodded, knowing she was prepared for anything as long as she can get Roxas back; the same person who he himself despised at the moment. His bangs shadowed his eyes as he gripped the wheel forward, the ship pulling back. He whispered, "Then; let's go!" He lifted his head up in determination, blasting off into dark space and glittering stars.

Cid covered his eyes as he looked up into the sky of the three Gummi ships, "You take care of yourselves now, you hear?" He just had a feeling though that they would.

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Kairi and Goofy were close to the entrance, but they stopped when they saw three shooting lights come from Merlin's place. Kairi knew that it was Sora and the others, already heading towards the worlds they were assigned to.

She smiled, pressing her hands together against her chest, "Come back soon." With those words in the back of her heart, Kairi followed after Goofy and Aerith, preparing to enter Space Paranoids and finally getting to meet Tron for the first time. She only hoped that nothing would get in the way of their plan in saving the hearts that exist within the worlds and getting Roxas back for Namine.

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Roxas walked down the hall, his eyes burning brightly as he took his steps slowly towards his destination. He was pretty sure he was ready anytime to leave to Halloween Town, wanting to get the mission over with as soon as possible. He saw Xigbar in the distant, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the wall.

He noticed Roxas, giving a short wave, "Hey, read to go, little dude?" Roxas replied, his voice sounding dead with no emotion, "Let's just get this over with." It was as if he lost sense of his purpose in even going to these types of assignments.

Xigbar opened a portal for them, the Superior ordering them to leave right away after he gave them the heads up on which heart to take. Xigbar spoke, a hint of mischief in his voice, "Let's get a heart for your lovely, Namine." Roxas didn't flinch from the mention of the girl's name; it seemed foreign to him. He automatically just walked through the portal, ignoring Xigbar's teasing words.

He soon followed after Roxas; actually feeling disturbed from the new appearance the young Nobody's eyes took. The cold shoulder he gave him towards the mention of the girl's name he was fighting his empty heart for also causing him to become perplexed.

He didn't think of it though as the portal closed up behind them and they were admittedly sent to Halloween Town.

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Sora looked at the map, seeing that they were nearing close to Halloween Town. He turned to Namine, who was just looked out the window endlessly for something she lost. She seemed empty and alone, like a broken doll that had lost its glow and color.

Sora smiled, trying to cheer her up, "Namine, your going to love Halloween Town!" She turned to Sora, the boy who the one she loved looked like; the thought made her depressed. She smiled though, not wanting Sora to ever lose his cheerfulness, "I hope so; it sounds scary though." He shook his head, "Nah, it may look dark and gloomy, but everyone is really nice there. Jack Skellington the pumpkin King is a great friend of mine, he'll be sure to welcome you as an honored guest." She smiled, nodding her head in approval. She was actually feeling better from Sora's words, finding his encouragement to be truly comforting.

He laughed, "I can't wait to see what you're Halloween outfit would look like, probably relating that of a witch." She became downcast, knowing she was one, "I guess I'll finally look like one from the outside now." Sora realized his mistake, and tried to clear his words up, "Uh! That's not what I meant!" He was about to clarify what he meant until a beeping sound could be heard from the control panels.

He looked up at the map, then out the front view window, he saw Halloween Town appearing over the distant, "Wow, were here already." Namine spoke; amazed as well over the quick time it took them to get there, "I guess the turbo boost Cid hooked up was really helpful after all." Sora nodded, preparing to land the Gummi Ship down upon Halloween Town's cemetery.

He told Namine to hold on to something as he descended down upon the world, nearing the border of its surface. As they broke through the barrier, Namine was able to see the world clearly. She became excited over the people she was going to meet, hoping her and Sora can spend some time here before actually finding the keyhole.

Sora landed the Gummi Ship down around an opening he found in the cemetery, pressing a button for camouflage so the Gummi Ship wouldn't be spotted. He pressed the latch button, opening the lid of the ship for him and Namine to get out. Once they stepped out, the magic of the world took its effect in changing their outfits. Namine gasped, not expecting such a transformation to take an effect on her.

She grew out some fangs, but they were smaller than Sora's, a heartless mask being place at the right side of her eye. She had dark make up on, making her look paler than usual and undead. She wore a cute saggy pointed witch hat, which had spider web designs on it, a spider hanging at the edge of the hat. She had long ripped black sleeves, the sleeves covering her fishnet covered hands. She wore a sexy black and white corset, as it revealed her cleavage rather nicely. She also wore a flaring, but puffy black skirt, which had spider web wrapping all over it; you can also see the white curly under dress underneath the edge of her skirt. She also wore lingerie stockings, suggestive looking ones that had ribbons on top. She also wore long black boots that reached up to her knees, brown patches covering all over it.

Sora looked awestruck, Namine's Halloween outfit taking him by surprise. She blushed, feeling embarrassed over his gaze, "Is something wrong with it? Is it not supposed to look like this?" He shook his head comically, "No, no! It's just...very…intimidating." He couldn't find any other word to describe it. Namine looked at herself as she turned to look at what she was wearing, feeling actually comfortable with her Halloween outfit.

Sora looked around where they were, "We aren't far from the town, so we should head there first to see if Jack and the others spotted anything that may help us find the keyhole." Namine nodded, but became alert when they heard a bark in the distant. Before she could even tell where it was coming from, a white blur with a shiny red nose rushed and collided into her.

Sora gasped, realizing that it was Zero who crashed into Namine, already licking up her face with much glee, "Zero!" He turned around to see Sally appear, calling out for the undead dog as it continued to lick Namine's cheek with much affection. Namine giggled, Zero pulling away as he looked back at Sally who was calling out to him.

Sora shouted and waved Sally over, "Sally!" She became pleased in seeing Sora, her mouth forming a perfect 'o'. She began making her way towards them, Zero floating over to her as he glided around her stitched up legs.

She spoke, "Sora, so good to see you again." He nodded, "Same here." He looked down at Namine, helping her up from the ground. Sally noticed her and smiled at her kindly, "Who is this? Is she a friend of yours, Sora?" He smiled, "Yeah, this is Namine. She's a friend of mine." He introduced Namine to Sally, "Namine, this is Sally. She's a friend of mine here in Halloween Town." Namine smiled with friendly greeting, "Hello, nice to meet you." Sally motioned Zero down, who seemed to have taken a liking to Namine, "That's Zero, he's Jack's pet dog. He seems to have taken a liking to you, Namine."

Namine chuckled, patting Zero's head, but became unsuccessful as her hand fell through his transparent body; or was it her own? She laughed disquietly, placing her left hand on her right wrist in uneasiness.

Sally soon took interest towards Sora's visit, "Sora, what brings you back here in Halloween Town?" He spoke, "I'll explain later, but can you show us where Jack is?" She nodded, but she seemed sad when she did, "Of course, but it seems he has taken interest towards a flash of light that appeared over the river where Oogie Boogie's hideout used to be. But I believe he should be back at Finkelstein's laboratory by now." Sora and Namine took this chance to look at each other; they both were thinking of the same thing. The light must have revealed where the keyhole of darkness was after they had opened the keyhole at Radiant Garden.

Sora begged to Sally, "Sally, can you please lead us back to the lab?" She nodded, already starting to walk back for them to follow. While they headed towards Halloween Town, Zero stood by Namine's side, Sora looking back at her with concern time to time as he prepared himself for any source of danger that may appear over their visit in Halloween Town.

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A dark portal opened up under the cold winter moonlight upon the spiral hill, Roxas being the first to step out, Xigbar following after him. The only thing that changed was Roxas growing a pair of fangs, and eyes burning a more ghostly yellow glow that matched the moonlight. Xigbar remained the same, stretching as he took in the cold night air of the Spooky world.

Roxas looked up towards the moonlight as he felt a strong warm presence; something he was familiar with that seemed to draw him in. He looked towards the view of the town, sensing the source that seemed to fill his hollowness from there. Who was this person he was sensing; Namine? He gripped his head as the name came to memory, but it was a faint memory that he was trying to somehow grip onto before it once again slipped into his comforting darkness.

Xigbar asked with actual concern, "You alright there, Roxas?" He nodded, looking back at the eye patched man with a stern gaze as he spoke coldly, "I'm fine." He looked around them to get a clearing where they were. He started to descend a little upon the hill, "So, what's the plan? I'm sure you have some ideas?" The older Nobody chuckled, "You bet I do, a little something the Superior gave me."

Roxas ignored him as he kept looking into the glowing lights of the town, his hood covering his handsome features as his blonde bangs slipped over his gold eyes. He turned to Xigbar, "You get everything prepared for what we need. I'm heading into town to find the heart we're looking for, and then we'll meet here soon after." Xigbar nodded with a smile, "Whatever you say, dude."

After that, they went their separate ways to complete their mission, each one having an assignment. Roxas took his time getting to the town, making sure he wouldn't be spotted by the shadows that lurked all around him. But; as he got closer, he felt something he seemed to have lost coming back to him, something that used to be apart of him. The name Namine kept repeating in his head, as well as an angelic face, but he didn't know why such thoughts kept slipping by him. All he knew was that he had to collect hearts for that certain someone, before they disappeared; it seemed to be his only reason for living at this point.

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They made it to the gates of Halloween Town, music echoing all around them as they entered the dark village. Namine had stayed close to Sora and Zero, afraid that something was about to pop out and scare her; and it sure did when the mayor popped out of nowhere. She had let out a squeal, tripping over some pumpkins that so happened to be behind her.

The Mayor laughed, "A perfect screamer this one! I never heard a nice girl scream like that for years!" He closed in on Namine's frightened face, "I sense some witch power within this one, but a very strange one indeed." Sally interrupted, "Oh Mayor, so glad to see you." He turned around, spotting Sora and the others, "Ah, Sora my boy! It's been too long! You look terrifying as ever! May I ask if this little witch is a friend of yours? I must say, she has a beautiful shriek!" Sora chuckled, "Hi there, Mayor! Yeah, she's a friend of mine, her name is Namine." The mayor grinned manically, putting a hand out to her, "Please to meet you then." She smiled, taking in his small hand, "Same here."

He turned to Sally, his grin still plastered on his face, "Sally, are you perhaps heading back towards Finkelstein's laboratory? I'm hoping Jack would be there so we can discuss about this year's Halloween." She nodded, "We're heading there right now as we speak, Mayor. Sora seems to be looking for Jack as well to speak with him about some important matters." Sora nodded, explaining about their visit, "We're hoping if he knew anything about a light that appeared here, so he can help us find it." The mayor hummed happily, "Ah yes, that brilliant light. I would hope to know about it myself; maybe a new source of Halloween surprise!" They all chuckled unsurely, knowing how much the Mayor loved surprises.

Namine got up from the floor, smiling towards the interesting Mayor, finding him to be very entertaining. She giggled, but she looked at Sora with urgency, "Sora, we should hurry to Finkelstein's lab." He noticed she was right, "Oh yeah, sorry about that." He looked at Sally, "Sally, we should get going." She nodded in agreement, "Yes, Finkelstein's laboratory isn't far now."

She began to lead the way again, Zero already floating ahead towards the gates where the wheelchair scientist resided. As they neared the gate, Namine halted her steps, feeling a recognizable aura nearby. She gasped, feeling the comforting sensation belonging to her Roxas as the darkness blanket her from the night's frost. She quickly, but harshly turned around, her hands gripping each opposite side of her arms as she scouted the roofs. The darkness that surrounded her seemed unintentional, but it somehow recognized her as well.

She whispered out, becoming sure it was him, "Roxas?" She looked up, but she jumped back when all she got as a reply were a bunch of bats. She sighed with distress, hugging herself from the loneliness that soon came. She breathed out of surprise when she heard Sora call out to her by the gates, "Namine, come on!" She nodded, apologizing to him, "Sorry, I'm coming!" She rushed toward Sora, looking back only for a moment before entering the courtyard of the town's resident scientist.

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When Roxas arrived at the town, he made sure to stay in the shadows as not to get caught by the town's citizens. It was pretty empty it would seem to him as he walked upon the shadowing roofs. He tried to search for the heart that was described to him, but he couldn't find that person anywhere, but he did find something else that caught his interest.

It was the girl, the girl he kept thinking about, he moaned out in pain when he felt his chest began to throb again. Sweat began to pour from his face as he tried to gain back his strength. He whispered out, his memories slowly coming back to him, "Namine…" That was when she turned around, her eyes almost locking with his; but he was quick to dodge her notice. He hastily hid himself in the shadows, gasping quietly for air, his leather gloved hand gripping his chest tightly.

She kept looking towards his direction, searching for him with her bright blue heavenly eyes, despite the dark environment that engulfed around her. She really was a light that couldn't be tarnished; the only darkness that seemed to ever touch or taint her was his as his powers called out to her. She seemed to take his darkness as a part of her, finding it to be a comforting soft kiss; and that was exactly what he wanted to give her.

She called out to him, but he didn't come out; instead, a group of bats flew out, making the girl sigh with disappointment. He slowly stirred, trying to figure out what was happening to him; it was as if he was losing her, someone that seemed important to him. For a moment, he remembered his reason for being in the position he was in; he had to save Namine; but why? He gripped his head, grinding his teeth together as he tried to grasp hold of her light, but it just kept going deeper and deeper into the abyss of nothingness; and he didn't know why.

He looked back when he heard someone called out to her, he noticed the person right away of being his other half and the true Keyblade bearer, Sora. He ignored the way she ran off to his side, wanting nothing more than to sweep her off her feet and take her with him; her light being somehow his home from forgetting her, from losing her forever.

He finally got back his composure after sometime sitting there in that position, his eyes returning to normal again, piercing through the darkness from under his hood. He got up, ignoring the pain as he got back his resolve once more for the reason why he existed. He would save Namine from disappearing from his life forever; but would his memories of her disappear before she will? He feared the answer to that as he tried not to let that happen again, knowing it was the only thing keeping him from being like any other nobody.

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Kiome-Yasha: "I actually finished this chapter in one day! Yippee! I feel so happy, like I accomplished something; even though it's like 3 something in the morning! Yeah, this is only part 1 to Halloween Town. I figured there would be two parts for every world Sora and Namine goes to. And yeah, Roxas is forgetting Namine somehow 'gasp' I wonder why? Well, only I know answer to that. He got his memories back for now; but how long would it take for him to forget about her again? Well, you all are going to have to wait until further into the story. FYI, next chapter is depressing, so if you're a BIG RoxasxNamine fan like I am, you're going to be torn. Anyway, PLEASE review! I'm like in a Kingdom hearts fever right now to update the next chapter right away, but only reviews could spur me up to update faster! No pressure, though."

Roxas: "I'm here now to tell you guys to press the green button below. Before I rip your heart out; and I don't mean the nice way, fangirls."


	18. Halloween Town Part II

Declaimer: "I do not own KINGDOM HEARTS! There would have been more Roxas and Namine interaction if I did."

Kiome-Yasha: "I am updating again; why, because I am like obsessed with Roxas and Namine right now. I can't stand the wait of updating my chapter again; I need to put the next chapter up now! Anyway, here is Halloween Town part 2. For those who are weak at heart and love all that is Halloween Town and are devoted fans to Roxas and Namine, prepare yourself. Trust me, this chapter was difficult to type even for me."

Chapter 18 Halloween Town Part II

Namine stepped up upon the large steps, jumping up one step out of time as she followed Sora inside the large tower. She couldn't shake the feeling she had received just a moment ago, but tried to ignore it as best she could. She just went inside as Sora opened the loud squeaking metal door, preparing for anything that may pop out at her.

As she finally stepped inside, the door had automatically closed behind her; which caused a big gust of wind to pass by her from outside. Namine stood still where she was, examining the area around her as she took everything in. There were weird contraptions everywhere; different sized bottle jars placed on high and low shelves containing a variety of strange and creepy items. She gulped as she saw half a brain inside of one of them, wondering to whom it might have belonged to.

As everyone stood around the center of the lab where a metal platform was, Sally called out, "Professor, there are some visitors here who would like to see Jack." It was quiet for a moment before Namine felt someone almost run over her from behind. She turned around and gasped as she saw a little beady-eyed man with goggles on, his head open which revealed his rather large brain. The little man was sitting on a wheelchair, scratching his brain as he stirred his was passed Namine; it was no other person than Professor Finkelstein himself.

He angrily shoved Namine over, "Move away, girl. You are in my way!" Namine hurriedly jumped aside, already finding the scientist to be rather intimidating. He drove his way towards his control panel, turning around so he was in front of Sally, "Sally, how many times have I told you to remain here in the lab!" Her face became crestfallen, "I'm sorry, Professor; but Zero had ran off and I was just trying to bring him back home." Zero barked to confirm her answer in being correct.

Professor Finkelstein growled, turning his attention to Sora, "Sora, was it? What brings you here?" Sora spoke right away, wanting to get to the point; "I'm here to see if Jack was here so I can ask his help for something." Finkelstein replied impatiently, "Well, Jack isn't here. He's too busy trying to find that light that appeared out of nowhere from the outside world." Namine spoke, somehow becoming impatient herself, "Please; will he be back soon? This is very urgent."

Finkelstein didn't like her attitude, "Don't you know whom your talking to, missy? I'm Dr. Finkelstein, the greatest scientist on earth!" Namine and him had a stare down, "Well, for a scientist, you don't hold many answers to anything, but bark orders!" Sora became shocked over Namine's behavior, pulling her back slightly, "Namine, calm down. I know how much you want to find Roxas, but we need to act calmly about this. Trust me, the Doctor here has helped me many times." Namine became alert on the way she was acting, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get back somebody who's really important to me." Sally nodded, understanding the feeling of loving someone very dearly.

Doctor Finkelstein just stood quiet, taking back his usual disgruntled expression. It was then they heard the back door open, a happy voice speaking out, "Hello Doctor! I have come back with great news!" It was Jack himself, his boney thin body towering everyone inside the room.

Namine noticed the person to be made out of only bones, his height overshadowing her small form. She asked Sora who stood beside her, "This is the pumpkin King?" He nodded with a large grin, "Yup, this is him in the flesh; well, not really flesh, but bones really." He chuckled, raising his hand up to get Jack's attention, "Hey, Jack! It's been awhile!" Jack looked down at Sora, his skull head creating an even larger smile to appear on his face, "Sora, my boy! You look as spooky as ever! Will you, perhaps, be spending Halloween with us this year?" Sora shook his head, "I'm afraid not. You see my friend and I-" He was cut off as Jack crouched down to Namine's eye level, taking in her design to be a fascinating one.

He grinned, "Your outfit is most delightful, I must say, you truly have taste!" Namine blushed, smiling embarrassedly from being commented by a person who was made out of bones, "Why, thank you." He chuckled, "And charming as well. May I ask what is your name?" She replied kindly with a soft smile, "Namine, Mr. Pumpkin King." He laughed, standing up straight, "Please, call me Jack. You're Sora's friend, I presume?" She nodded; laughing as Sora sighed from the fact he was about to introduce them.

The mayor decided to speak out at this time, happy to see Jack, "Jack, my boy! Have you found anything about the strange light that appeared?" He nodded, "I sure have, Mayor. But I'm afraid to say that the light has crossed over to where Oogie Boogie's lair used to be." The mayor's face switched quickly, taking Namine out of surprise as his happy face turned into one of despair, "Oogie Boogie's!? That is most bad news to hear!" Jack reconciled the sad Mayor, "But fear not, I plan to head over there to investigate the area myself! After all, Oogie Boogie is gone forever thanks to my friend Sora and the others." The mayor switched back to his usual happy face, becoming enlightened by Jack's words.

Sora became uneasy though, "Uh, we'll go with you Jack. It's actually the reason why we're here." Jack became curious, "Oh, then let us go together then. I'm sure you fill me in on the details while our way over there later; but first." He turned to Sally, "Sally, could you care and help me prepare a little Halloween party for Sora and our new guest, I think that would be most delightful wouldn't you agree?" Sally nodded, "Anything for you, Jack." Namine smiled, feeling nostalgic over Sally's feelings for Jack, knowing she would have done the same if Roxas had requested anything from her. At least, she would hope to some degree that it wouldn't be anything that would have caused others to harm.

She became hesitant though as she felt they were wasting time, but she didn't want to give up a chance to experience her first Halloween with her new friends either. She looked at Sora uneasily, "Sora, I really don't know if we have time for this. I don't mean to be rude, but-" He understood, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I understand, Namine. I know what you're getting at." He interrupted Sally and Jack for her, stepping up towards the Halloween couple, "Jack, I'm sorry to say this, but we really don't have time for a Halloween party as much as you love the holiday." Jack looked upset for a moment, but he soon changed to a more pleasing look, "I understand, it seems to whatever connection you have with that beaming light seems more important right now. In that case, we shall leave right away!"

Sora nodded with appreciation, "Thanks, Jack. This means a lot!" Namine agreed feeling much obliged as well.

Jack scratched his chin in thought, "We're going to have to see Santa first, though. He helped block any entrance to Oogie Boogie's place, making sure no darkness ever came through in reviving the old bag of bugs ever again." They all nodded, deciding to leave admittedly towards Christmas town, the mayor and the doctor staying behind.

Namine giggled as she saw Sora become excited in seeing the jolly old man again, making her feel thrilled as well. She hoped that even though she was a Nobody, she was still part of the list that determine who was naughty and who was nice; hoping she would see Roxas name there as well next to hers.

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Roxas stood behind the haunting roofs of the town, waiting for any sign of the person he was looking for. He spotted Namine, and for the moment he was glad he had gained back his memories of her; but fear still lingered of him forgetting her again.

He sighed, hitting his head back against the brick wall, becoming impatient as time flew by. For a large town, it sure was deserted for some reason, but he guessed it was because they were hiding in the shadows waiting for the right opportunity to scare anyone who looked vulnerable enough.

Roxas took this time to place himself into deep thought, a puff of air appearing from his open mouth as he breathed out from the cold air. He couldn't figure it out how or why he could even forget about Namine, but he did. He thought it was strange, considering he could never forget about her, for it was the proof he had that she was his heart while he was hers. He shook his head calmly, knowing that it was probably the darkness getting to him, as he took one heart at a time. He didn't need to think about anything else, as long as he kept his goal in mind that what he was doing; as wrong as it was; it was all to save Namine from whatever fate she didn't deserve.

He will get the heart that was requested of him from this world, no matter what anyone said; he couldn't let anyone stop him from what he was born to do, and that was to keep Namine safe.

Roxas' eyes slowly began to shift to a glowing coal like color, but the transfer stopped as he became alert of a door opening. He quickly turned around to take notice of it, his eyes calming as he noticed Namine stepping out of the tower she had entered not too long ago. He took her in for all she was worth, fear soon overtaking him if she knew he was there and what he was about to do. And with Sora there as well, he knew it was trouble; he didn't know how he was going to keep his secret from Namine with him there, knowing what he did to his parents. He looked down at his hand at this time, a little brush of red fading into his leather gloves from the last two hearts he took. Roxas clenched both his hands tightly at this time, letting out a growl, as he couldn't stand the heavy darkness that was clouding him, making him feel like a heartless mixed with that of a nobody.

He looked back up sternly, his hands unclenching as he turned his attention back around to Namine and the people she was with. After seeing the last person come out, Roxas's eyes widened before they glistened with anticipation, a wide evil grin appearing over his young features. He stood up slowly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his victim, "Finally, I found you." And he was gone within a flash of dark smoke, heading towards the place he was to meet with Xigbar.

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Namine could have sworn she received the same feeling again as they stepped outside, Roxas coming into her mind of focus. She sighed angrily choosing to ignore it, as she knew that Roxas would come to her if he knew she was there, wouldn't he? Her mind became troubled from the thought, wondering if he really was hiding from her.

As they all began their walk together to the forest where all the holiday doors were from outside the town, images began flashing in Namine's head of the Organization member that had killed Sora's parents. She felt angry towards the cloaked person, but she also found some weird connection to him as well. She looked up at Sora slowly, her eyes becoming intense as they neared the center of the trees inside the forest, each tree having a certain designed door that kept a world or town of a season.

Jack lifted his arms out with glee, "Here we are! That door over there will lead us to Christmas Town, where Santa himself is waiting." Sora grinned from the thought, his feet shifting side to side with excitement, although Namine felt a different sensation as she kept herself in deep thought. Her thoughts caused her to think that Sora was hiding something from her. She didn't know why, but she just had this feeling that he was, almost like she could read his heart just like she once did with his memories.

Jack looked around the other doors as he walked up to the tree painted one, "Although, I do wonder sometimes where the other doors may lead me, but sadly, Santa told me it was best that I didn't let my curiosity get the better of me." Sally patted his back, "It's okay, Jack. He thinks very strongly of you as someone Halloween Town needs; there is no other who could take your place, at least, that is what I like to believe." He nodded with an assuring smile, clasping his long hands with hers, "Thank you, Sally."

Jack turned to Namine and Sora, "Are you ready, my dear friends?" They nodded, preparing to enter the domain that was Christmas Town anytime. Jack opened the door, grabbing hold of Sally as they were swept in from the winter cold and comforting breeze. Zero gave out a bark at Namine and Sora, telling them to follow as he flew ahead in order to follow Jack and Sally.

Sora began to walk towards the tree shaped door, but was stopped as he felt Namine's hand grab hold of his. He slowly turned around, her sudden grab onto him peaking his interest, "Namine, what's wrong?" She stood quiet for a moment, looking down at their hands with much frustration. She looked up at Sora, her eyes pleading to him, "Sora, if there was anything you were hiding from me that was important as to Roxas's whereabouts; you would tell me, right?" He began to panic from her question, his heart racing from spilling out the truth to her. Her grip on his hand lightened, "I don't know how, but I could feel and sense your heart." He smiled gently, "Well, you can sense my memories from my heart right? That's probably it."

He became apprehensive though as she shook her head, "No, it's a different feeling from my usual powers. But that doesn't matter; are you keeping any secrets from me or not?" He could tell she was desperate to know, and he couldn't blame her; but he was more concerned about how she was just able to sense this all of a sudden. Was it perhaps from King Mickey unlocking the keyholes of darkness through Namine? He didn't know why, but it was definitely a theory he was going to go for, for now.

Sora's face soon took one of pure sincerity, "I'm not hiding anything from you, Namine. I know how much you want to see Roxas, so I wouldn't hide anything from you that may deal with him." He lied through his teeth, knowing that no matter how much Roxas may had hurt and betrayed him by taking his parents' hearts away from him, he still kept his promises; and that is what he felt made him weak.

Namine looked at him skeptically, still trying to get the hang of reading his heart, but she took the sincerity that he held in his voice in approval, dropping her hands down in defeat. Even if he did just lie to her just now, which she was pretty sure was the case; she knew she wouldn't get anything out of him. Sora was that type of person who wouldn't tell the truth if it hurt someone. It was like when they were at Castle Oblivion; he found the truth out for himself, wanting to discover the truth all on his own rather than asking for it. She planned to do the same, wanting to find Roxas and see him with her own eyes.

She nodded, looking down at the cold ground, "Okay, I'll take your word for it." Sora sighed, taking in a smile, "Alright then, let's go." They both walked towards the entrance, Sora jumping in first into the hole. Namine took a moment to breathe in before leaping in the hollow tree as well. She closed her eyes and felt the cold darkness that somehow felt warm with colors sweep around her. And before she knew it, she collided with the soft white cushion of snow.

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Roxas appeared out of the dark clouds that he created to teleport him to their meeting spot, becoming irritated on the fact that he didn't see Xigbar anywhere. He didn't have time to waste, knowing that he found the person they were looking for in Halloween Town. He couldn't afford to squander anymore time than they already have in trying to complete the task they were given.

He stood there for only a moment, looking up at the night sky that was filled with stars, their glistening lights blinding him from a distant. He looked back down, not wanting to stare at them any longer as they ridiculed him from the darkness that couldn't touch them so easily.

As time passed, he finally caught Xigbar's voice calling out for him from a distant, "Roxas, dude! You wouldn't believe what I figured out! It seems somebody blocked the way to where Oogie Boogie's place used to be and I couldn't get in!" Roxas quickly shushed him, glaring at him with fire blazing in his eyes, "Idiot, do you want to blow our cover? I can't afford to make you ruin my chances in saving Namine." He hissed at the older man, finding him no threat to even think about arguing back at him, knowing he was not tempted to be toyed with.

The gun shooter chuckled nervously, whispering silently, "Man, she must have got you good. She really must have been a little time bomb in bed." Unfortunately for him, Roxas got to hear that last comment; drawing both his keyblades in a flash as he crossed them over the man's neck. Xigbar swallowed nervously, still somehow keeping a confident grin upon his face, his Adam's apple making a slight contact upon Roxas's Oblivion.

Roxas growled furiously, "Don't you dare talk about her that way again, or it will be somebody else I would be sending to the darkness that is waiting for them on the other side." He got the message, placing his hands up in surrender, "Hey, take it easy. I was only pushing your buttons there, little dude. No need to get all prissy on me now." He grinned, Roxas withdrawing back his keyblades as he stepped away from him and turned around, "See that you don't push them again." That was when they heard a branch snap from near by, behind one of the tombstones.

Roxas took his attention where he heard the noise, becoming still as he vanished smoothly out of thin air, causing Xigbar to let out a breath of shock. Roxas was soon behind three little trick-or-treaters, their bodies shaking out of fear with their mask on. Roxas took out his keyblades, pointing at them menacingly at the three children, preparing to cut them down at anytime if they tried to make an escape.

Xigbar walked up to them from behind, placing his large foot upon the tombstone behind them. He chuckled evilly, "Well, well, well, guess we have some tricksters here today, or should I say treaters?" The three children; if you haven't guess; were Lock, Shock, and Barrel themselves.

Roxas spoke with distaste, "What did the three of you hear?" Barrel spoke timidly, but held his grin face mask, "Nothing, we didn't hear anything. We just got here." Lock and Shock agreed, but Barrel continued on, blowing away their chances of living, "We didn't hear you say anything about trying to get to Oogie Boogie's place." Shock hit him over the head, "You idiot! Look what you've gone and just said!" Lock became frightened, "Oh, we're going to get it now." They all docked their head, waiting for the blow to come.

Xigbar laughed, looking up at Roxas's formal face, "What do you suppose we do, Roxas? Should we give them their treat?" Roxas kept the hilt of his keyblades steady in his hands, his mind running with ideas of what he should do with the three. He soon figured it out, placing his keyblades back as they disappeared, causing Xigbar to be intrigued.

He spoke in a whisper, but affordable tone, "Do you three know how to break the barrier surrounding Oogie Boogie's stronghold? If you do, tell me now and I 'might' spare you from the darkness." Lock twisted himself under Shock's arm, taking his mask off with a huge smile on his face, "At your service, sir. We'll tell you what we know."

So the three explained about how it was Santa who had placed his magic around Oogie Boogie's place, preventing any to enter. Roxas and Xigbar listened the whole explanation, but what caused Roxas's attention the most is when they started talking about Namine and the others.

Shock went on and explained, "Now the rotten keyblade bearer and his friends are going to see Santa now to break the shield in order to get to that light that came from out of Halloween town." They stood quietly, Roxas's thoughts running at full speed as to what to do next.

His eyes began to burn again, the itchy sensation causing him to rub his eye a little with his hands. He finally felt the pain subside, speaking up to Xigbar, "Then we'll wait here, until they come here to lift the magic. Then; we'll make our move in order to get the heart we need." Xigbar nodded, agreeing with the plan as the smart thing to do.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel stood where they were, but Lock became anxious, "What do you want us to do in the meantime?" Roxas turned to them, "Keep watch. Tell us when they come." They all nodded, scurrying away to keep post.

Roxas soon realized that his hood was down, causing him to lift it back up without any hesitation. He spoke to Xigbar, already beginning to walk up the swirl mountain, "Xigbar." The scar-faced man looked up at him, "Yeah, what's up dude?" Roxas spoke quietly, his eyes losing their fade of blue, "Don't tell Namine that I'm under this hood. Could you do me this favor?" Xigbar looked at the young Organization member, his eyes squinting in question, but he shrugged and answered, "Whatever you say."

Roxas actually smiled a small smile, "Thank you." His eyes soon turned yellow completely again, with no hope in shifting back to the blue he remembered.

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Namine groaned from the collision she just made, her body shivering from the cold she felt. She lifted herself up, spotting Sora's hand stretching out to her, "It's rough on your first time, but you'll get use to it eventually." Namine nodded with a smile, taking in his hand as he lifted her up with ease. She took a slow glance around her, her eyes sparkling from the winter beauty that existed around them. In the distant, Santa's workshop could be seen, holding many decorations that presented Christmas as the lights glowed to the sky.

Jack spoke, already walking down the hill towards Santa's workshop, "We shouldn't stall! Santa's workshop is this way." Sally and Zero followed after him, leaving Sora and Namine behind.

Sora beckoned Namine to follow as well, but she soon crouched down in pain, clutching her chest tightly. Sora asked with alarm, "Namine, are you okay?" She shook the feeling off, the pain only lingering for a moment before it was gone, "Yes, I'm fine. Let's hurry and catch up with everyone." She rushed passed him, wanting to ignore the feeling she felt as nothing more than a twinge of pain, pulling up her long sleeves to gaze down at her visibly clear hands.

Sora stood bewildered for a second before following after the witch girl, becoming worried over her condition.

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They made it to Santa's workshop, feeling lucky in finding the jolly old man outside. Jack waved at Santa, "Santa, how are you?" Santa became nervous in seeing Jack, but smiled back just as friendly, "Ho, why hello Jack and to you as well Sally." Sally beamed, responding with her own greeting, "Hello to you as well, Santa." Sora ran up to the man, feeling excited to see him, "Santa, it's good to see you again! Am I on the good list again this year?" Santa chuckled at the young teenage boy, "I believe you are, Sora. So good to see you again, son."

Namine stayed behind Sora, becoming shy in meeting the man that so many looked up to every year. Santa noticed Namine right away though, poking behind Sora as he smiled at her, "My dear Namine, it's good to finally meet you." She was shocked that he knew her name, finding it strange as she was just a mere nobody.

She stepped out from behind Sora, smiling at the rounded man, "Please to meet you, Santa." He grinned at her, assuring her that he knew she was a nice girl, "It's good to know that a sweet girl like you are on my nice list." Namine became silent and stunned from the comment, before smiling widely, "Thank you." She tried to hold back tears from the consideration he had given her; that's when curiosity got her.

She asked aloud, placing both her hands firmly on one of his tiny ones, "Please tell me, can you tell which list Roxas is on!?" Both Sora and Santa stood uncomfortably quiet, the both of them knowing the obvious answer to which list he was on; but they knew they couldn't tell Namine the truth. Santa; although against it for what he stood for; lied to the oblivious girl, "I'm not too sure, I need to check twice before I can give you an answer." She looked disturbed by his answer, not knowing if to take it as a good thing.

Sora ended the conversation, knowing that they needed to get back on track to the real reason why they were there, "Santa, we didn't come to you to ask if we've been naughty or nice. We need your help in lifting the magic shield you placed on Oogie Boogie's lair before we destroyed him and buried him." Santa became appalled by the request, "Oogie Boogie's lair!? Why would you even ask me for such a thing? It's too dangerous-"

"Please!!!"

They all turned around, realizing the shout of plea came from Namine's sweet desperate voice. She had distress written all over her face, "Please…" she said once again in a low dead whisper. She looked up at Santa, "We'll explain, if you'll just please help us." He looked at her with sympathy, understanding her feelings, as they were strong for someone who supposedly didn't have a heart.

He nodded slowly, "Fine, I'll do what you ask. But…" He turned to Sora with a serious stance, "I want you to explain everything to us while we get there." Sora nodded, understanding that he couldn't hide them from the truth. He was bound to tell them, he had to if they were to be prepared for what was to come when he unlocks the keyhole to darkness upon their world.

Namine quickly took this time to embrace Santa, "Thank you." He patted her head, "Now, now, no need for that, my dear." She nodded, releasing him from her hold.

Jack smiled, glad that Santa was willing to help them on their quest, "Well then, let's be off back to Halloween Town?" Santa groaned from the mention of the place, but Sally only laughed, as she was pleased to see Jack full of energy.

They all headed back through the path that would lead them back into Halloween Town, each of them entering through the whole back. When they arrived, they took a steady pace towards the graveyard on Spiral Mountain; not noticing the darkness that lurked of three little misfit trick-or-treaters that hurried to tell the ones with no hearts the news of their arrival.

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Roxas stared up at the moonlight, waiting patiently for any news of the others returning and opening the path for them to make their strike. While he stood waiting, he felt the moon soothe him, reminding him of something that was the fire of his empty heart. A light that couldn't be tarnished but could be easily sniffed out if he wasn't careful. He ignored it though, his long black cloak floating in the wind as they waltzed together in an empty dance of forbidden darkness that Roxas penetrated.

He closed his eyes softly, catching a sweet smell from a blissful light that seemed to be his. It caught his attention that it belonged to Namine, her light being the only thing close to him, and yet the most farthest. He gripped his head, Namine's light and face fading into his darkness, as if it was eating away any influence she had on him.

He felt a pulse go through him as he felt her presence coming closer; so they were back. He turned around right on time, seeing the three little rebels hurry towards him and his forced teammate.

Barrel spoke, trying to catch his breath as he took his mask off, showing an even creepier face, "They're heading this way right now." Xigbar stood up, ready to attack once they arrived, but Roxas stopped him. He spoke in a deadly cold tone, "Let them pass. We'll wait in the shadows until it's time to attack." Xigbar firmly looked at Roxas stiff back, having no say in the matter, as he knew the boy had his reasons. He shrugged in boredom, taking cover in the shadows with Roxas. The trio took cover as well, snickering away as their wild imaginations ran with sinister ideas that belonged to darkness itself.

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Namine and the others arrived across the broken bridge that once led to Oogie Boogie's home within the outskirts of Halloween Town. Santa stood in front; already performing his Christmas magic to take off the barrier he had placed to block any darkness from entering or escaping. A whole wall appeared out of green and red glitter, shiny small sparkles of light dusting itself off as they dispersed into thin air.

Santa turned around to Sora, "I took out the magic. Now you may finish what you came here to do." Sora nodded, looking towards Namine and silently asking her if she was ready as well. She nodded with a severe resolve expression, knowing the danger they might face inside.

They both were about to step across the other side where the keyhole of darkness was waiting for them, but soon came to a stop when they heard Jack call out to them, "Look out!" Right beneath their feet, heartless that looked like they came out Namine's dream appeared, latching on her legs.

She let out a scream, trying to smack them away the best she could, failing tremendously from her attempt. Sora took this time to cast out his keyblade, striking the ones that had Namine in their hold, making them vanish within seconds. He bent down to Namine, making sure she was okay, "Are you alright, Namine?" She nodded, straightening herself up, "I'm alright. They didn't get to hurt me." They soon caught Jack's voice over them, "Be careful, everyone. More are coming!" He took his own battle stance, making sure to place Sally behind him as he protected her. Sora did the same for Namine, knowing it was dangerous for her to be in the middle of the battle, but it couldn't be avoided.

Jack called for Zero, the heartless already rising slowly out of the ground, "Zero, get Santa out of here. Keep him safe!" The ghost dog complied with a bark, leading Santa away admittedly towards somewhere safe.

Jack spoke up, clear cautiousness in his voice, "Let's get them together, Sora." Sora nodded with an affirmative, taking charge towards the first heartless that appeared in front of him.

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Roxas had lifted his hand, making the heartless he was able to summon appear, delaying the others from fully entering. He didn't command them to attack Namine though? This caused Roxas to believe that he was slipping his hold to the darkness from taking over.

He hoarsely gave Xigbar an order, "Go…" Xigbar knew what he meant by that, already taking off towards the dome where Oogie Boogie's shadow laid waiting.

It was at this time when Xigbar took off that Roxas collapsed to the ground, banging his forehead harshly into the dirt as he grinded his teeth in agony. He couldn't tell what was happening to him, only that there was a dark layer of smoke rising under him. It was trying to sweep him up into its abyss, trying to possess his weak heart; little did it know that he didn't even have a heart. He grinned feverishly under his hood, his eyes creating a flash to break up the darkness that was trying to envelop him from the passage Santa had opened up.

He slowly stood up, placing one foot after the other. His grin became a sinister smirk as he began to make his way towards the person who held the heart that would save the one he was losing.

Little did he knew, that the heart he had claimed was stronger than any real one. His memories of that heart struggling as the darkness surrounded her in its clutches, slowly making her be forgotten. A fight that she was slowly losing, as the light she held was about to be snuffed out.

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Jack had cast out a thundaga spell around them, causing some damage towards the heartless. It didn't stall them for long though, as they crept forward to them, their numbers rising.

Sora growled in frustration, slicing and twirling his keyblade in circles with vicious combos that could shatter them back into the darkness where they came from. Namine stood back, trying to search for something she could use as a weapon, feeling the darkness that most likely belonged to Oogie Boogie before his death.

She took a random long thick wood, swinging it quickly towards a heartless that was about to stick its fangs into her. She only caused the dark creature to yelp out in pain, if you can call it a yelp. Namine didn't care if she couldn't defeat them, if she could cause even a little bit of damage to them, she felt like she was at least lending a hand.

She had tried to hold on as best she could, but she soon felt her body weakening, the obscure force she was feeling causing her to fall to the ground. It was at this time that she didn't notice the heartless that was behind her. Namine let out a cold breath, her eyes becoming wide when she heard the snarl come from behind her.

She slowly turned around, swearing she could have heard somebody called out her name as everything began to move slowly. Time seemed to stop as she stared at the beast coming at her, its burning yellow eyes sinking to her baby blues'. She slowly clenched her eyes shot, preparing for the worse, her mind screaming out for one name, "ROXAS!!!!"

All of a sudden she felt a quick breeze swept by her, causing her eyes to open up in shock in seeing the heartless disappear right through her as it was cut in half by a powerful force. She soon saw him, the Organization member who had killed Rinoa and Leon; his face looking towards her with cold glowing yellow eyes that matched those with the heartless. Their eye contact seemed to make time stop, causing Namine to take a good glimpse at his face, her eyes widening painfully slow from the face she saw.

Soon, time seemed to speed up as he reached passed her, entering inside the domain that was Oogie Boogie's. Namine's breathing stopped, leaving her flabbergasted from the sight she saw. No, it had to be a lie, an illusion. Her body shook, her eyes vibrating from left to right as she looked towards the destination the dark member fled to. She whispered to herself in turmoil, "It…it…it couldn't be…?" She quickly snapped out of it as Sora called out to her, making her come out of her thoughts. She looked up at Sora as he kept repeating her name. What was he trying to say to her? No, she couldn't hear him right now? That person, yes; that person; she had to go after him, for he was…

Namine slowly got up from the ground, making Sora look at her with concern; that's when the realization hit him. That Organization member that just swept by her just now…

He shouted out to Namine, his face contracting that of severe desperation, "NAMINE!!!" She didn't hear him, already taking chase after the person he was pretty sure was Roxas.

He kept calling out, unable to chase after her as heartless kept on coming at him, preventing him from stopping her. Sally called out to her, already following after the distraught girl as she pursued the hooded figure.

It was at this time that Sora took time to think as to why Roxas was there, his mind racing in trying to survive from the army of heartless and giving chase after Namine. He tried to attack as many heartless down as he could, Jack fighting behind him as he cast magic against the dark monsters.

He shifted left to right, regretting on not having Donald or Goofy with him to change into one of his powerful forms. He soon came up with an idea as he came to a halt, knowing he couldn't afford to waste anymore time while Namine was in danger; the greatest threat was her finding out the truth of what Roxas had become for her.

He shouted behind him to Jack who was struggling in keeping the heartless at bay, as he too was worried about the girls; Sally especially. Sora received Jack's attention, "Jack have to catch up to the girls!" Jack looked unsure, "But Sora-" He retorted back to him, drawing his keyblade back by his face as he grabbed the hilt with both of his hands, "Don't worry about me! I could handle it! You need to get to the girls, quickly!" Jack could feel a surging power start to grow within Sora, wind picking up as he drew it near him to prepare a certain attack that might end the heartless.

Jack didn't question any further, already taking off towards where the girls had run off. Sora smiled as Jack listened to him, turning towards the heartless that were charging at him with full speed, forming a large dark shadow that looked like it was about to swallow him up. He glared up at them, his thoughts still running wild about Roxas presence as he charged himself up to his limit. His memories started to flood up towards the events that happened with Roxas; hearts, keyblade, killing, Mom, Dad, Yen Sid…Kingdom Hearts.

His eyes widened with realization, releasing his attack as he cursed himself for not noticing it. Sora gave out a roar, announcing his attack towards the cluster of heartless, "Lion Heart!!!!!" He jumped up into the air swinging his keyblade rapidly, vanquishing every heartless with his decease father's attack. The keyblade glowed brightly with light, its power surging through Sora to go berserk.

When he felt like he took care of all of them, Sora landed perfectly on his huge feet, already turning around and making haste towards Namine and the others.

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Namine ran and ran, never stopping to catch her breath even though she was breathing heavily. She almost tripped a couple of time, but she refused to let that stop here, not when she thought she was so close in actually finding Roxas; the person who she believed to be Roxas. She ignored Sally's call as she kept running, not wanting anyone stop her from her pursuit.

She could hear Sally coming closer to her, her footsteps galloping from behind her, telling her to stop. But, she couldn't; her heart wouldn't let her, as he was close.

As she kept on going, Namine didn't notice the hill that was coming up, her mind being a jumbled mess. She reached the edge, letting out a strangled cry as she came plunging down the hard dirt slope. Sally had noticed, calling out to Namine, but she wasn't quick enough to halt from falling down the hill as well.

Both girls tumbled down, Sally losing bits and pieces of her body parts as they came off from her sewed body. Namine received cuts and bruises, finally coming to a halt on the ground. She whined in pain, her dress torn from the fall. She soon heard a thud next to her; she looked quickly to see Sally in pieces. She let out a soft cry, fearing the worse for her friend, but Sally spoke to set her mind at rest, "Don't worry, this happens all the time. I can fix myself up in a jiffy. If you can just lend my arms over there, please." With the hooded person out of her mind for the moment, Namine rushed to help Sally pull herself together.

Once they had put Sally back together, they smiled at each other, feeling relieved that they weren't seriously hurt from the fall. Namine then took the time to search through their surroundings, finding the trees that were spread apart actually a lot creepier than the ones up in Halloween Town. She helped Sally up, making sure that she was able to stand on her own. When she gave Namine a nod that she was all right, she had let her go; already scouting the area for the boy she knew that had to be Roxas.

Sally took this moment to observe Namine, becoming interested towards the Nobody girl, "Namine, may I ask why you had run off like you did?" She turned to her, her face blushing over the person she was thinking about, "Well, you see. As much as Sora is in this adventure to stop an evil group of people, I'm actually searching for somebody who I really care about. He's my heart you would say at the same time, without him, I feel like I don't exist. This person is the reason why I exist, and I…I love him very much." Sally smiled warmly, feeling sympathy for the girl. She understood the feelings she held for the person she was telling her about, and how she would do anything to be at his side.

Namine looked at Sally, her eyes holding many emotions, "I need to find him, Sally. I think it was him under that hooded cloak, and if it is…" Fear over took Namine, knowing the coat he was wearing was from the Organization 13, "You don't have to come with me, you know. This is something I have to do on my own. I don't want to risk your safety of getting hurt again."

Sally patted her shoulder in comfort, smiling sweetly, "Then let us go find him." Namine was taken aback from Sally's words, feeling grateful to have her as a friend. She stopped smiling though as they both felt a cold chill run up their spines, making them both still. They heard light steps make their way towards them, a snicker following as it approached them. They looked where the noise was coming from, spotting Xigbar as he held a dark orb in his hand.

He smirked at them loutishly, his hand popping the sphere up and down, "Evening, ladies. Fine night we're having, aren't we?" Namine murmured, recognizing the person as number two of the Organization 13, the 'Freeshooter', "Xigbar." She proclaimed aloud, making an ominous smile appear on his face, "Bingo." Soon, dark mist started to swell around the black ball that was in his hands, creating the ball to float as he let it go free. Both girls held onto each other, fear striking them to run away as they stood where they were.

The ball soon fell to the ground, melting into it as it disappeared. This caused Xigbar to question the gift the Superior gave him, "Um, okay? I'm pretty sure it wasn't suppose to work that way." Everything was quiet between them, which irritated Xigbar to now handle the dirty work, "Damn, looks like I have no choice." He pulled out his twin pistols, aiming them at the girls, "Well, Namine…looks you'll be doomed to end in darkness after all." She breathed out an air of fear; that was until the ground started shaking.

All three looked down, discovering oozes of dark power rising out of the ground, a form taking shape. Xigbar scoffed, "Guess the damn thing needed some time." They all stepped back, the form starting to take shape as a huge shadow; the body becoming huge as a familiar laugh ringed through Sally's ears.

Her eyes became large and even more fearful as she called out, "Oogie Boogie!" Xigbar shook his head, making his index finger move side to side, "Wrong answer, more like; Oogie Boogie's shadow." The so-called shadow sprang forth from the ground, laughing away like the original, only this one sounded more menacing. It would seem that even if he lost his heart it still remained in darkness, waiting for its time to be released and create terror once again. He then took his sight on Namine and Sally as they were trapped, their faces masking that of horror.

The shadow of Oogie Boogie stepped forward, blocking any chance of light or hope of the guys making it on time to save them, seeing as the darkness covered their doom.

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Kiome-Yasha: "A few change of plans. I was talking to my friend about this chapter while it was on the works this week and discovered it was too soon for the 'something' 'something' to happen now. (Plus the fact that I was making this chapter WAY too long, so I had to cut it short.) So I changed a few things, though the next chapter is still going to be heartbreaking. I have some ideas running around in my head that keeps jumbling together, but I think I'll be fine in typing the next chapter once I get comments from you guys. Anyway, I decided to end this chapter with a cliffhanger. I also wanted to say that in the next chapter it won't be called "Halloween Town Part III", considering the next world will be announced and will be making an appearance in the next chapter; at least I hope. Well, until then, here's Chapter 18, the fastest update ever. Now go and review for it shall bring me joy!"

Roxas: "Review and I will spare you from the darkness."


	19. Falling Inside the Black

Disclaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts!"

Kiome-Yasha: "Here for another update, considering the new Kingdom Hearts game has been released. I also felt like I needed to update on the fact that many reviewers kept asking me to. I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting, but I needed to take a break to focus on my schoolwork; but the semester is finally over!!! Anyway, now with the semester done, that means more time to update my fanfictions, which is good news for you reviewers and readers out there! Well, enough with my report on things! Start reading the chapter now!"

Chapter 19 Falling Inside the Black

Namine stood petrified by the nearing shadow of Oogie-Boogie, not knowing what to do, as she was defenseless. Xigbar chuckled, standing behind the lines of the shadow as he watched the girls shake in fear on what to do. The shadow began an attack, opening his haunting mouth wide as he let out a screech like sound with the once evil laugh that belonged to Oogie-Boogie himself.

The dark wind from the monster came towards Namine and Sally, its force knocking down trees as it headed towards their way. Sally pushed Namine to the side as she braced herself on the other side to avoid the attack. Both of them let out a groan from the impact they made with the harsh ground. It was at this time that Oogie-Boogie's shadow decided to take the time to charge another attack from his empty bowels, choking up memories of laughter from the blown up bag of bugs.

Namine came to as she saw the shadow pointing his next attack directly at Sally. Acting on her instincts in protecting her friend, Namine took charge at Oogie-Boogie's shadow with a large stick that was luckily by her hand. Before he could release the attack, she struck him on his side, making him howl in pain as he lifted his mouth towards the air, letting out a beam of darkness to the purple sky.

Namine stood there, her eyes trembling with her body, as she knew she was the one in trouble now, Oogie Boogie's shadow looking directly at her with anger. She dropped the stick, not knowing what to do as Sally slowly picked herself up from the ground. She called out in distress, "Namine!"

But it was too late; Namine was struck hard from Oogie Boogie's arm, the vigor from his attack causing her to be flung against a thick tree and knocked unconscious.

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Roxas paused from his dash, feeling sudden pain rush through his chest. This caused him to fall over to the ground, grinding his teeth together. He tried to soothe the pain, but he couldn't as it kept squeezing him from the inside over something that wasn't there; proving it to be futile for him to stop the agony he was receiving.

He asked to the empty space around him, "What is this? What's happening to me?" He collapsed to the ground, trying to get himself together. He stopped withering in pain though, when he heard running footsteps come up from behind him.

He slowly got up, turning around towards the intruder that invaded the silent area.

He wasn't surprised to see that it was Sora of all people glaring at him with intense hatred that could even match with those of a raging heartless; memories of his last encounter with the keyblade master coming back to him.

Sora magically drew out his keyblade, growling towards the Nobody, "Roxas…" Roxas stood still, not even flinching towards the threat that was obvious in Sora's voice. He ignored the pain he was feeling, making it seem like it was nothing more than a small wound that wouldn't affect his demeanor at all, even though it was actually tearing him apart.

He kept his hood up, never revealing his face as fear of a certain somebody discovering it. He spoke slowly to Sora, "I wonder, if somebody as important as you should even hold that much revulsion; kind of disappointing for the hero of worlds to act like this." Sora shouted at him, "SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!" Roxas grinned underneath the shadow of his hood, actually finding enjoyment in tormenting the young Keyblade Master.

He lifted his arms up as if offering himself, "Such dirty words for a keyblade bearer to have." Sora automatically charged at the person he once thought of as a friend, finding no ways in holding back his anger any longer. Roxas blocked his assault easily with his own keyblade the Oblivion, but only scarcely as the ache in his empty heart still continued to throb. It tortured him by something he didn't even realize was important to him. It didn't make sense to him; after all, he was a Nobody without a heart. What does he have to lose?

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Namine had tears slowly come down her pale face, the pain to indescribable, as she felt sore all over. She tried to get up, but let out a yelp of pain as she felt her left arm was broken from the impact she was inflicted with from the tree. The cruel monster laughed loudly in his deep uncaring voice, waddling towards Namine to inflict more pain on the poor girl.

Sally quickly got up, running towards the young witch; but she was stopped as a small purple beam came out in front of her. The shot made contact to the ground, causing smoke to rise slowly from the heat of the bullet. Sally came to a halt, looking up to discover that the shot came from Xigbar's purple handguns, which he proudly held in his hands.

He smirked, "Not so fast; don't want you to be spoiling the fun now, sweetie." Sally fiddled, not knowing what would happen to Namine if she didn't help her in time.

Namine whined as she tried to get away from the approaching shadow, but it proved fruitless as she just collapsed again upon the cruel ground. The shadow was now above her, looking down at the wounded girl, as she was nothing more than a crippled fly that had its wings torn off.

He laughed into the silent air of the night, lifting his large foot, as he was ready to stomp on the small girl. Sally let out an agonizing sound of pure terror, "NAMINE!!"

Namine flinched from the imminent fall of Oogie-Boogie's foot upon her fragile broken body, not knowing who was going to save her as she was engulfed by her own shade of possible death.

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Roxas growled as the pain came back, making him receive a scratch upon his cheek from Sora's Keyblade. He jumped back, keeping distance between them to recover.

Sora at this point tried to reason with him, "Roxas, stop this! Don't you know what you're doing to Namine!?" He only flinched a little from the name, but he hid it well from the boy in front of him.

He growled as he received no response, "You killed Yen Sid! My own mother and father! Who are you planning to go after next!?" He spoke in a deep whisper, "That is none of your concerns. This is something I must do, regardless of the consequences." Sora yelled at him with pure fury, "Even if it cost you your own heart!" He actually chuckled from that, "Heart? What heart do I have? I'm nothing more than a Nobody after all." Sora shook his head, actually feeling remorse for his dreaded friend, "Roxas, what happened to you? Is losing Namine worth this!?"

He asked, feeling confused, "Losing her? I'm saving her." Sora shook his head once more, flailing his keyblade forward, "You're wrong, you're doing the opposite; whatever they made you believe, it has to be a trick somehow!" He refused to believe in Sora's words, "Shut up! You don't know anything from what I'm feeling, even if you are my other half!!" He charged at Sora, his mind leaving him blank as he was succumbed by anger.

He asked Sora, striking Keyblade with both of his with raw mindless strikes, as darkness began to swarm around them, "I killed both your parents in front of your own eyes! Tell me, Sora; do you want to kill me!?" Sora's face contoured that of anger, "Nothing would please me any better, but…" He pushed Roxas back with tremendous force, trying to suppress his locked up rage. He spoke, trying to steady his words, "…I'm not going to make myself weak to the darkness like you have."

Roxas grinned, "You don't mean that; I can sense that locked up darkness in your heart. It's liked your father said, 'there is darkness within every heart'." He shouted, his eyes set ablaze, "Don't you dare use that on me!" He cast firaga, the raging flames burning down the field towards Roxas, but he completely missed as he flipped forward.

Roxas charged down, setting out beams of light out of his hand as he twirled his keyblade the Oathkeeper around. Sora managed to dodge, jumping to the side as he ran around and jumped off a tree to get Roxas in midair. He once again missed to hit the blonde boy, flipping himself up to strike once again. This time, he was able strike both of their keyblades together, causing sparks to fly from the echoing sound of metal.

Roxas smiled, his eyes burning with intense yellow, "Is this really all you got? Seems you've gotten weaker from our last duel with each other; guess the heart does count. Which means…" He hit Sora on the side with his Oblivion, making the spiky brown haired boy scream in agony as he fell to the ground. Roxas continued with his words, the pain from his chest subsiding, "…I'm stronger."

Sora coughed up blood front the blow he received from his side, making his body feel crushed. He heaved heavily, losing air as his sight became cloudy; he didn't know what to do. He looked up at Roxas from afar, sweat slowly starting to appear on his face, "I can't get through to you, can I?" He just stood silent, walking slowly towards Sora with his Keyblades drawn out with anticipation for a final blow.

As he neared the injured Keyblade hero, Sora spoke, "I failed as friend, I know that, but; I won't let you drag Namine to the darkness with you." He coughed hoarsely, blood spreading down his chin as he tried to get up, holding his keyblade tightly in his weak hands. Roxas froze, waiting for whatever Sora had to say; after all, it would probably be his last words.

Sora chuckled, "I'm not going to let you drag everything you love with you. Although, I could probably understand; if I was in your shoes, I would probably be the same for Kairi. But, that is something totally different, I wouldn't find the darkness as my answer like you have, Roxas. In a different sense, you're just making Namine leave you even more." He collapsed to the ground, but he was already trying to pick himself up with the weapon that tied to his heart.

Roxas spoke, glowering down at Sora, "Nice try, but your strength also provides your weakness as well; something I don't have." Sora laughed lightly, giving a small trademark grin, "You're wrong, Roxas. You have the same thing as I do, you're just too stupid to see it." The both of them just stood there, Roxas trying to figure out what Sora had meant; halting him from committing the final act towards the keyblade bearer's death from his clenched keyblades.

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Namine whimpered, preparing for her demise, but she caught her breath as she heard Oogie-Boogie's shadow cry out in pain. The cold loom that was over her disappeared, the creature screeching out in pain as it stepped back.

She looked around, wondering what had attacked the shadow, catching sight of a tall skinny figure in the distance. She discovered who it was from Sally's cheer, "Jack!" It was the Pumpkin King himself, coming at the knick of time to save Namine from certain peril.

Jack glared at Xigbar and the howling beast next to him, "How dare you cause harm to my friends! You will pay for your mistreatment towards them!" He had cast a Thunder spell at the large heartless, stopping it from causing any more harm onto Namine.

Jack stepped down from the hill he was on, getting in front of the girls as he jumped off. Sally rushed towards Namine, helping the poor girl up as she winced in pain of her broken arm.

Jack spoke, posing himself for any attacks that may come to them, "Sally, watch over Namine; I'll keep you both safe." She nodded, "Be careful, Jack." Just then, the large shadow that Xigbar had summoned roared out, after having Jack's spell that was inflicted on him cleared away. Xigbar cursed under his breath, "Dammit, where the hell is Roxas?" He muttered the name, making sure that Namine didn't hear him; seeing as Roxas made it clear to him that he didn't want her finding out about him in anyway possible.

Oogie Boogie's heartless cleared it's head from the cast magic, looking directly at it's attacker with extreme tension of rage. He cried out in a howl of pure wrath, charging at Jack at full speed. Jack prepared for the attack, using his long fingers to grasp the top of the heartless's head, flipping himself over to the other side to evade the tackle; this only angered the creature even more.

Sally and Namine watched helplessly on the side, not knowing how to help without getting in the way. It was at that moment that Namine felt a pulse come from within her. She grabbed the front of her corset, trying to find someway to breathe as the air was sucked out of her. She realized she was feeling something, something that was a link to her body. Sally asked with concern, putting her hands on the weak girl's shoulders, "Namine, are you alright?" She shook her head, "I could feel something." She looked ahead, feeling a source of warm light guide her vision through the darkness, which seemed to have held something. She wondered if it was the keyhole to darkness her and Sora were looking for when they came to Halloween Town.

She struggled to get herself up, the sensation she was feeling calling out to her. Sally became alert, catching the girl from falling, "Namine, you must not get up! You're hurt, my friend." She shook her head selfishly, "I need to finish what we came here for. If I don't, I may never see him again." She turned to Sally with a stubborn look on her face, "I'm tired of making myself seem weak, when I know what I have to do." She begged Sally to understand, "Sally, you should know how I feel when it comes to wanting to protect the most important person to you! So please, let me go do what I need to do." She knew the keyhole was near, and she needed to reveal it soon so Sora can open up the keyhole to darkness; it was her only hope in finding where Roxas could be.

Sally turned her vision towards Jack; the Pumpkin King she had grew to fall in love with from afar. Now that she finally had him, she couldn't bear to lose him, not now, not ever! She understood Namine's feelings within her heart, even if she claimed she didn't have one; but Sally saw it, it was a faint glimmer, but it proved to be there. Maybe, it had something to do with the same discovery Sally felt when she knew her and Jack were simply meant to be. Whoever was this person Namine craved to see, she knew all she wanted to do was to be by his side again and for him to be by hers.

She slowly got up with Namine, nodding with great understanding towards the girl's determination. She spoke, the sows around her lips moving her lips, "Alright, Namine. I'll help you with whatever you need." The pale witch smiled warmly, appreciating Sally's kindness and acceptance.

She turned her back swiftly to shout to Jack, "Jack! Please hold them off as long as you can!" He became alert with outermost dread, "Wait! Where do the two of you think you're going!?" Sally called out to him as she and Namine already took off towards their destination, "Don't worry, we'll watch ourselves, Jack! Please stay safe!" They left the premises, taking off towards the source of the keyhole Namine was sensing.

Namine continued to run, never looking back. She took a firm look on her face, her legs pumping with adrenaline as she also ignored the pain from her broken arm. She only had one thought in her mind, '_Roxas, please wait for me! I'll make everything right, so you won't ever feel that pain again of being alone! So please, don't fear me of disappearing, because…" _She cut her thoughts short, not knowing what to say next as tears began to brim over her eyes unwillingly, '_Please! Just don't disappear on me and leave me in the darkness alone with no light!"_

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Xigbar cursed under his breath, not liking how things were turning out, _'Dammit, things are getting way too out of hand! I need to get that damn Roxas; he's screwing our plans_

_.'_ He looked at Jack who still continued to battle against the large shadow of the decease bug-eater. He chuckled, "You have fun now! I need to get my partner to end all of this already."

He began to disappear through the dark realm, hoping to get Roxas's ass moving in doing his job. Jack called out to him as he dodged another swing from Boogie-shadow's arm, "Stop!" But it was too late, the gun-shooter had vanished right before his very eyes. He had entered through a dark portal that even the Pumpkin King himself feared in entering; a darkness pulling at his heart like clutches made out of venom.

He continued to face the over-grown shadow, growing frustrated in figuring how to defeat it. He was hoping to receive aid from Sora any second now, but it looked like even the Keyblade bearer himself had his hands tied with the same grim element.

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Roxas stood over Sora, still anticipating his attack and ready to strike at anytime; but Sora's words had struck him to the core. What did he know? He didn't understand the pain he was feeling; and he wished so badly that it would just go away.

Sora looked up at Roxas with a fixed glare of determination. He was praying in the inside that his words had got through to his former friend, sensing a progress of a crack through his oblivious mind. That hope though was washed away when Xigbar appeared behind Roxas, coming out of a black smoke of darkness.

Roxas took his attention off of Sora, making sure to keep Oblivion focused on him as he turned to Xigbar. The patched eye man spoke irritably, "Dude, you can't keep me hanging like that!? We need to get that damn heart and you're here playing 'Keyblades' with the good boy!" Roxas nodded, "Fine, let's get this over with." He walked slowly away from Sora, leaving him there on the ground as he walked towards Xigbar.

Sora became anxious and alarmed, "Roxas! Dammit, don't do this! Whoever's heart your getting, it's only making things worse for everyone!" He completely ignored Sora's pleading words, opening a dark portal for him and Xigbar to enter through and reach the heart they were sent to get.

He turned to the keyblade warrior, his face complete with pure detachment, "In case you haven't noticed-" His eyes burned brightly, "-I don't give a damn about everyone else." They both soon disappeared into the abyss, the mist of purple smoke dissipating into thin air.

Sora struggled to get himself up, "Dammit, I need to hurry. I won't lose anymore hearts to them!" He began to sprint into the forest, drawing out his keyblade as he ignored the throbbing pain on his side that was given from Roxas's harsh blow.

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Namine huffed and puffed, running further into the dark forest with Sally. She felt the keyhole beating through her as they got closer and closer, the darkness almost swallowing them up. She was surprised that there weren't any heartless around, but she considered them to be lucky.

They soon made it to a clearing, the shape of a large keyhole engulfing the area from above. The keyhole was completely black, light streaming through the outline of it like a perfect eclipse.

Namine stopped her running, trying to catch her breath as she stood under the keyhole of darkness. Sally strode up behind her, gasping as she saw the large symbol above her. She asked Namine, becoming slightly frightened, "Namine, is this what you were looking for? The keyhole…to darkness?" She nodded; fear overcoming her from the thought of what laid beyond it, "Yes, this is it." She then looked left to right, no sign of any heartless or Nobodies around.

She stood there waiting, her mind rushing to Sora, '_Sora, where are you? We need to unlock the keyhole.'_ She stood beside Sally, expecting Jack and Sora to come soon before danger came from the Organization XIII.

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Sora hurried into the forest as fast as his scrawny legs would take him, and even if they popped from the rushing fluid of adrenaline; he would still continue to run. He couldn't risk in losing anymore of his friends; and God so help him, he couldn't risk breaking his promise to Roxas either.

Before he knew it, Heartless began appearing in front of him, passing through the dark realm to stop his pursuit. Sora grinded his teeth together, "Get the hell out of my way!" He belted each one fluently with his attack 'strike raid', vanquishing all of them in one smooth swoop. He still continued to run, not letting the heartless disrupt his chase, seeing as he had no time to waste in actually fighting them.

He gasped in surprise though when he saw Jack in the distant, looking like he was fighting the old bag of bugs known as Oogie Boogie. Sora called out to him, preparing to strike down the large shadow with his keyblade, "Jack, Hold on!" Jack was startled to see Sora, but was glad to see his companion to stop the beast's rampage.

Sora jumped into the air, striking behind the shadow's head, while Jack attacked from the front with his powerful magic spells. The shadow wailed, pulling a fist forward as to hit Jack, but Sora managed to block the assault with his Ultima Weapon keyblade at the nick of time.

He turned to Jack, holding his keyblade steady, "Jack, let's finish this together!" The scrawny tall skeleton nodded, preparing to attack the monster together with Sora with their collaboration of ghostly terror.

Sora jumped up, both him and Jack summoning the souls of the dead as they attacked, letting out explosions of magical hexes upon the large creature. The shadow was blasted across the field, letting out a loud cry of pain. He tried to get up, but failed as he noticed he was starting to disintegrate from the dark enchantment he was under. He was already weak from the damage he received from Jack before Sora had arrived, and the last attack from both of them had caused the creature to meets it's end.

It let out a cry, its voice becoming squeaky like a bug, "No! No! NO!" It let out its arms to the air, hoping to have some salvation from his defeat, but none came as he vanished into nothingness.

Sora and Jack had let out a huge sigh of relief, pleased to see that it was over without too much of a hassle. It wasn't too long until Sora noticed a few missing people. He looked at Jack, concern written all over his face, "Jack, where's Namine and Sally? I thought you went after them to save them." He nodded, explaining, "I did, but they ran off to find something it would rather seem, while I myself took care of Oogie Boogie's shadow." He soon remembered the dark cloaked man who had also vanished at the time. He became alert, "I also recall a man with a patched eye and dark cloak also taking off right after." He pointed to his left, revealing a secret passage road that would be hidden to anyone, if not looking closely enough.

Sora thought deeply over the information Jack had given him, '_Namine must have felt the keyhole's presence near by. And there's no doubt the person Jack was talking about was Xigbar, who went and retrieved Roxas…which would mean!' _Realization struck Sora, the next target becoming clear to him.

He shouted at Jack, his voice covered in panic, "Jack, we have to hurry after the girls! I think Sally is in trouble!" That took the Pumpkin King's attention right away, fear and terror actually consuming the nightmare himself.

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Namine and Sally continued to stay where they were, waiting for their friends to arrive. The keyhole above them burned ominously with darkness, the light surrounding the edges keeping it locked up tight. Namine sat down under the symbol, rubbing her broken arm as her thoughts drifted to many directions that dealt with Roxas. She just had this feeling that the Organization member who saved her was him; and if it was, she dreaded the possibilities. She soon began to wonder if Sora really did know where Roxas was, but her mind shook the idea away when Sally sat next to her.

The puppet made woman smiled courageously at the young girl, giving her some sort of comfort to her clouded mind. She spoke, hoping to cheer her up, "Namine, are you thinking of that special someone again." She nodded, smiling a little on a more positive note, "I can't help myself, he's the reason why I see myself the way I am right now. And if he ever forgot about me, I wouldn't know how to remember existing without disappearing. It's also the reason why I keep thinking of him; in order for him to exist without fear of the darkness." Sally smiled brightly, "You know, Jack never noticed me before until making one of the biggest mistakes of his life."

Namine listened to the woman whom she considered a friend, "I cheered him on, but I always had my doubts of the person who he was trying to be. After certain events, Jack soon began to realize the person who I had grown in love with was the Pumpkin King, and not this Sandy Claws. And even though I knew his intentions were good, I knew they were wrong. Which is why I gave it my all in tying to convince him before it was too late; but in end, he still got hurt and had only caused others to be in harms way."

Namine hugged her knees to her chest, the story affecting her in way she couldn't explain. Sally continued, her face brightening up, despite the grimness of the story, "But even though bad things had happened; Jack was able to fix things again to the way they were. And with the both of us together, I think we could make things even better than the way they were before." Namine smiled, nodding with agreement from Sally's words and optimism, believing her faith to be her own as well.

Their mood switched though as they felt a cold presence behind them, the wind picking up from the sudden change in atmosphere. They both turned around to see two-hooded Organization members; well actually, one had his hood up, keeping him mysterious among the girls' company.

They both got up from the ground, keeping a pose of defense from the black-cloaked men. Xigbar chuckled, Namine forming a fierce glare, "Well, well, well, looks like we got them cornered. Doesn't seem like their friends are here to help or protect them, which means-," He looked over to Roxas, taking notice that his hood was up for a reason; and that reason was less than ten feet away. He grinned, knowing he had to keep it cool for Roxas not to be noticed, "-You know what to do, dude." Roxas nodded, never drawing out his keyblades as he approached the girls.

Namine poised her arms out, protecting Sally despite the pain from her arm, "I won't let you come any closer!" Roxas actually halted his way towards them, Namine striking a deep part of him. All of a sudden, memories of her fully began to blossom within him again; he didn't even know that they were gone in the first place. He shook his head, his eyes shifting to their normal blue for a split second; but it was only for that moment until the darkness claimed him again.

Namine could have sworn she saw the deep color of azure blue from the two orbs hidden beneath the hood. Her mind sped up from the possibility, but that hope was lost as the eyes were quickly back to their noticeable gold then the blue they were a second ago. After Roxas shook off his sudden confusion, he began to approach them once more, taking in account that he had to attack without using his keyblades. Namine still continued to hold a firm stance though, refusing to budge, even if her body was shaking with slight fear for her life.

Roxas was soon in front of her, the next move being on him. Xigbar waited impatiently, wanting to get their task over with already. He spoke loudly, "Hey, dude! Just hurry and move her out of the way already!" But Roxas couldn't, his mind was actually on a pause on what to do.

He just kept looking at her sweet and innocent eyes; but it was clear as day that it was those same blue eyes that remained moist from past shed tears. He wanted to just embrace her right there, holding her close from ever disappearing from him. He feared that whatever was happening to her, he couldn't follow; he couldn't even understand why such terrible things were happening to them. And that is why, he had to do what he must to save them both from ever being apart again; he wouldn't allow it, damn to those who didn't understand.

It was soon that they heard a voice appear from the woods, "Stop right there!" Everyone turned to the side to see Sora and Jack; the both of them revealing themselves out of the trees.

Namine was glad to see Sora arrive at the nick of time, but she didn't let her guard down. Sora drew out his keyblade, "I won't allow you to take someone else's heart!" Roxas just stood where he was, staring at Namine with his hood entirely over his face. He gripped his hands into tight fists, knowing he couldn't draw out his keyblades to take Sally's heart; but he did have other options running through his mind.

Before anyone could make a move on what was about to happen next; Roxas jumped forward, grabbing Namine as he shot a beam of light towards Sora and Jack. They both managed to dodge the beams, grunting as they called out to Namine.

Roxas had her face covered in his chest as he jumped across the field, landing perfectly without any harm coming to her. She cringed from the sudden assault; opening her eyes abruptly when she noticed whose arm she was in. She didn't know if she was delusional or not, but she saw the member looked down at her with piercing nostalgic blue eyes. She gasped, her mouth stuttering from pure anxiety, "Ro…Rox…Roxas…?" The member just shook his head mournfully, as he only replied, "I'm sorry." After those words, Namine's world went black.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha; "Okay, to be honest; this isn't how the chapter was originally suppose to end. I actually had a whole thing outlined, but it didn't feel right to add the rest as the ending speaks for itself. I actually like how it ended this way better, giving me great ideas for the next chapter! And Personally, I have to admit to myself that I've been treating Namine uncaringly; but the girl does get attacked a lot. FYI, as most of you Kingdom Hearts fans know by now, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days was released in Japan; and I must say, I'm slightly disappointed in it. Well, that's my own opinion, and even though some things were answered in the game, I'm still going with my own RoxasxNamine logic. Anyway, until the next chapter, which is going to be called "A Moment to Recollect". Also, for those you who have been requesting for Roxas and Namine interaction, there will be some in the next chapter; although still possessing a dark theme to it."

Roxas: "Review, if you must, but we offer that you do so."


	20. A Moment to Recollect

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts."

Kiome-Yasha: "OMG, I'm updating already!? Yeah, blame Roxas and Namine love for that; God, I'm obsessed with that couple. Funny thing is, I'm writing this chapter with the song "Falling in the Black" playing on a loop. I always do that to bring up the mood to the chapter better for me; makes me get into it a little bit more. This chapter is dedication to the new Kingdom Hearts game, 358/2 days after being released in Japan, and now seeing the first English trailer on youtube. FYI, for those who support Namixas, don't go to the dark side known as Roxion; keep the light truthful to the true hetero Nobody pairing, besides Axel and Larxene of course :D!"

Chapter 20 A Moment to Recollect

Sora flaccidly walked towards where the Gummi Ship was, dragging his large feet along the harsh ground. He just unlocked the keyhole of darkness and had to report in, cringing as memories kept playing back to him. He failed once again; the Keyblade Hero failed once again in saving someone's heart from falling into the hands of darkness.

_Flashback_

_Sora shouted to Namine, seeing her form go unconscious in Roxas's arms. He figured it was Roxas's plan to knock her out, not wanting her to see what he was about to do. _

_Sora went into defense, both him and Jack charging after Roxas, but multiple Samurai Nobodies stopped them. Xigbar stood behind the Nobodies, chuckling as he aimed his guns at them, stopping them from pressing forward._

_Sora cursed under his breath, already trying to slash every Nobody out of his way. He called out to Jack, "Jack, go to Sally! I'll handle these guys!" He nodded, already taking off towards her, but Xigbar wouldn't have it. He blasted bullets at the tall skeleton man, holding a wicked grin, "No so fast, bone dude! I won't you get in the way!" He kept shooting, disappearing and reappearing in different angles to shoot Jack back away from Sally._

_Sora was panicking, not knowing what to do if he failed to save one of his friends again. He continued to slash away though, vanquishing Nobodies after Nobodies that just seemed to multiple even more distress to his body._

_End Flashback_

Sora got to the Gummi ship, jumping up to the cockpit and sitting himself in the pilot seat. He had already unlocked the keyhole to darkness, finding his and Namine's mission in Halloween Town over. Namine in the meantime was resting in Doctor Finkelstein's lab, still lying unconscious from Roxas's hit to her head. Sora decided to call in while waiting for her to wake up, needing to know what was their next destination.

He picked up the mini-mic, gripping it in a death like grip that caused it to crack in certain areas. Sora didn't even notice the tears of frustration falling from his blue eyes, until it fell onto his hot skin from his arm.

_Flashback_

_Roxas placed Namine calmly and carefully against a tree, looking at her once more before turning away with burning yellow eyes directed at his prey. _

_Sally backed away, tripping over as she felt a sudden blast come through her sowed legs. The blast came from Roxas's hands, causing her to collapse to the ground with no chance in getting up. She saw her puppet made legs on the other side of the field, having no chance in retrieving them to escape. She lay there, not knowing what to do as Roxas made his way towards her._

_Jack called out to her, stretching out his arm, "Sally!" He tried to get to her, desperately trying to avoid Xigbar's assault of bullets, but he couldn't without himself getting hurt._

_Sweat was pouring down Sora's face as he tried to make his way towards her, but it proved futile as more Nobodies came. He kept swinging his keyblade recklessly, not caring about anything else but trying to stop Roxas from taking another heart._

_Everything seemed to slow down, the ticking of an invisible clock playing over them._

_End Flashback_

Sora's bangs covered his eyes, as he sat motionless in the pilot seat. He couldn't believe the events that had played out, not wanting to believe that such evil actually existed in the world. He jumped though when he heard a beep go off from the message radio.

He heard Riku's voice on the other side, "Sora, are you there?" Sora pressed the button, answering Riku's call. He spoke, his voice sounding dead, "I'm here." Riku knew from the tone of his voice that something was wrong, "Sora, what happened?" The only thing he got was low curses of distress, "Dammit…Dammit…Dammit…" He soon heard a bang, causing him to be still as he heard Sora whimper, the bang coming from his fist colliding onto the controls.

_Flashback_

_Roxas stood over Sally's trembling form, his ember eyes glowing within the shadow of his hood with deep anticipation. He actually looked guilty, whispering to her, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." She looked up at him with deep sympathy, "It's you isn't it, the most important person to Namine." She closed her eyes as he drew out his keyblade the Oblivion, "You don't know me, but I do know your Namine." He paused, his keyblade drawn back as the echo of cries died out behind them. _

_Sally opened her eyes, "She loves you, so don't leave her to disappear alone without you." He glared at her, not knowing how to feel from her words. He whispered to her, "You don't know nothing, and I refuse to think that you do." He spoke, striking his keyblade forward to her heart, "Goodbye, Love of a Puppet."_

_Sally gasped, Roxas pulling his keyblade out as he took the heart within the opening he made to her chest. Both Sora and Jack cried out, Xigbar grinning in the background, "Mission accomplished."_

_End Flashback_

Riku decided to speak first, knowing Sora was struggling, "The others and I finished our assignments, unlocking the keyholes to darkness as we were told. We also shared an encounter with the Organization. They…they kidnapped Mulan, Tron, and her Queen, Minnie Mouse." He heard another bang come from the other end. Sora spoke, growling lowly, "Dammit! They keep taking away people who are important to us!" Riku asked, now becoming slightly impatient towards the little information he was getting from Sora, "Sora, what the hell happened?"

He spoke through gritted teeth, "Roxas was here. He…he…took Sally's heart right in front of our eyes." Riku became alert, "You don't think…" Sora nodded, "Yeah, there's no doubt that the people they kidnapped will soon meet the same end as Yen Sid, Sally…. and my parents. All they need is to wait for Roxas to return to headquarters." He gripped the speaker even tighter, "That bastard." Riku spoke, trying to calm Sora down, "Now hold on, Sora. You know the only reason Roxas is doing what he's doing is for…" Sora cut him off brusquely, "For Namine, I know that! But it still doesn't make what he's doing right!!" He couldn't argue with him there.

He asked, waiting for Sora to calm down a little, "Did Namine?" Sora shook his head, "No, he knocked her out before she could…. but, I don't know for sure if she 'really' saw him or not. I have reasons to say that she does, but I really don't know for sure until she wakes up." Riku asked, "She still unconscious?" Again, he nodded, feeling his body go numb, "Yeah, so I don't know when she'll wake up."

Riku sighed heavily "We sure do have a mess in our hands. King Mickey is furious, but he's still willing to continue in our plan. By the way, I received your next assignment from him. Did you unlock the keyhole?" He replied silently, "Yeah, I did. So, what's the next place?" Riku told him, requesting Sora to go right away as soon as Namine was awake and well enough.

The connection was cut off, leaving Sora there in deep silence as he banged his head back into the seat. He knew the real person he should be upset at is the leader of the Organization, Xemnas; but he still couldn't help but to hold a grudge against his other half as well.

_Flashback_

_Sally's sowed body began to turn into dust floating up towards the sky; her lifeless formed looking up at Roxas with no sign of emotion. Jack ran towards her, trying to pick up the pieces of her broken body, but failed._

_It was at this time Roxas looked down at the captured heart, already tainting with the darkness he possessed. He turned the other way, ignoring the desperate call of Jack's plea, "Sally, no…. this can not be happening…." Sora stood opened shock, his eyes shifting with pure grief; this wasn't how it was suppose to be._

_Roxas walked by Xigbar, "Lets go." It was all he said as he opened up a portal for them to take their leave. He completely ignored the still forms of the people around them, only taking his attention to Namine as they began to vanish within the void._

_Sora shifted quickly at this, jumping up towards them with his keyblade ready to attack. He gave out a battle cry out of pure fury, but he missed and passed through the vanish air of black smoke, falling against the ground callously. He began to punch the ground until his hand bled, tears falling down his cheeks with uncaring warmth._

_It was this time that Sally began to give her last words, even though without a heart to support them, "Jack…" She quickly got his attention; Jack holding her hand close to his, "Sally?" She whispered to him, "I…I…lov…" It was at this time she burst into golden dust, leaving Jack to remain still and in pain within his own heart._

_He began to shake disorderly, looking up to the sky with falling tears from his empty sockets. He saw the golden puffs begin to turn black, and in seconds later, they disappeared into the dark night._

_Through all this, Namine still remained unconscious, never knowing the evil deed Roxas's had just committed to her newfound friend._

_End of Flashback_

Sora sniffed, trying to wipe the tears away as all the memories came back to him. After what happened, Jack had canceled Halloween this year and the year after that, and the year after that, probably forever. He locked himself up in his home, not wanting to speak or see anyone for the remainder of his bony life.

Sora had told the Mayor and the townspeople the consequences of unlocking the keyhole of darkness, telling them to be safe and to be kept indoors until the darkness over them was gone. He hated doing this to them, but it was the only way in stopping the Organization XIII's plan and reaching their headquarters.

He clenched his fists, "Damn you, Roxas. Even with the horrible things you've done, I still can't do anything without hurting Namine." He soon came to a conclusion to see if the young witch had woken up yet, leaving the cockpit as he made he way towards town.

While walking into town, though, Sora commented himself in his mind, '_I wonder if what's happening to Namine lately relates to anything of the Organization's plan? If so, what could it be?'_ He ignored his thoughts, thinking he was being ahead of himself.

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Roxas passed through the portal with Xigbar, finally reaching back to headquarters in one peace. Although they made it back, fear plagued Roxas's mind, not knowing how Namine would react when she wakes up to find it was him under the hooded cloak. He still planned to hide himself though, jus to be safe.

When arriving, they were greeted with Xaldin, Vexen, and the leader of the Organization himself, Xemnas. Roxas glared at all three of them, not liking the 'welcome back' one bit. Xemnas spoke, getting down to business, "Did you retrieve the heart?" He nodded, showing the heart to them in his hand. Vexen grinned, walking up towards Roxas to salvage the heart. He looked at it was pure marvelous, "Just beautiful! This would make a fine specimen to our plan." He stalked off, already taking off to complete his task in mixing the heart with Kingdom Hearts.

Xemnas looked at Xigbar, "Number 2, your services are no longer needed. You may rest in your quarters." He saluted the leader, "Affirmative, Superior." He walked off, heading towards his room to rest.

Roxas spoke darkly with no emotions attached, "What about me? What's my next assignment already? I'm guessing it's the reason why lance man is here." Xemnas chuckled, "Already cutting down to business, are we?" He looked over to Xaldin, "You're quite correct. I already have your next mission planned for you; and this time, number six will be accompanying you." It was at this time Xaldin spoke up, "Our destination shall be Beast's Castle. I'm sure you remember our last mission together there." Roxas nodded, his gold eyes showing no sign of any endearment.

Xemnas spoke, "But until then, you may go rest yourself, Roxas. We'll call for you when it's time and when I need you." He nodded, already taking off with no other words or comment.

As he disappeared around a corner, Xaldin decided to speak, "It looks like this job is affecting him like you planned it would." The leader of the Nobody Organization grinned wickedly, "Indeed, everything is finally coming together. Kingdom Hearts has been waiting for this moment to finally come."

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Roxas entered his room, already holding a hand to his pounding head. He shut the door behind him, already collapsing onto his bed. He whispered to himself, moaning in pain, "It's happening again…what's going on…?" A pulsation began to go through him, bringing him more pain than he already had.

Memories of a blonde headed girl began to slip by him, causing him to grip his head together to keep her in place. He gripped his bed sheets, pulling the comforters to disarray as he struggled with the pain. He finally came still, laying his head upon his pillow as he whispered, "Namine…" Before his own surroundings became nothing but darkness, the thought a fleeting memory he craved to never lose vanishing.

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Namine felt something soft and mushy underneath her, it was also wet for some reason. She moaned as she began opening her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun pressing down against her pale skin. She slowly got up, taking in the sight of a pleasant beach view in the late evening to where she believed to be as Twilight Town. Twilight Town?

Namine swiftly picked herself off the ground, memories of Roxas's remaining days coming back to her in this town. But, wait? What was she doing here? Was this really Twilight Town, or was she dreaming?

She crouched down to the ground, picking up the grains of dry sand as they twinkled down through her fingers. She then looked up towards the burning sun, feeling the heat caress over her cold body. A cold breeze swept through her, but it was a comforting draft that made her feel at home. She remembered how Roxas's wanted to go to the beach with his friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette; but in the end, he never had the chance, and she felt like it was her fault.

She turned around, spotting the train station's clock tower, "Roxas…" She missed him so much. Fear washed over her, "Was it really you behind that hood? If so, then, you…" She shook her head; not wanting to believe he would commit such crimes just yet, but she couldn't help but to see pass the chance of it being true either.

Not knowing what else to do, Namine sat back down on the sand, staring off into the distance of the sun settling down on the other side across the ocean. The effect of the sun caused the water to spread like spilled acrylic mashed together.

Namine folded her arms across her knees as she brought her legs up to her chest. She laid her head down, her mind only trailing to one thing, "Roxas…"

As soon as she mentioned the name, she jolted up from her drowsiness when she heard a familiar voice come from behind her, " You called for me?" She turned around, seeing the face of someone she had wanted to see since he left her side.

Tears slowly came down from Namine's eyes, "Roxas…!" She quickly got up from the sand, running towards him and embracing him tightly. She didn't care if the world around them was a dream, he was as real as any dream, holding her to him like his life depended on it; and that's all the mattered to them.

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Sora made it back to Finkelstein's place, opening the large door to his lab. He saw the evil trio being punished by the mad doctor, enraged at them from causing his precious Sally to be gone. He closed a secret cell at them, keeping them there for use of future experiments.

Sora ignored the way he treated them, seeing as they deserved it. He walked up to the doctor, spotting Zero next to Namine, "Professor, how is she doing?" He spoke, frustration still visible in his voice, "She seems fine. She seems to be having nothing more, but a pleasant dream. Hopefully, she'll wake up soon." Sora nodded, "Good, we'll be out of your hair as soon as she does." He walked off towards the other side of the room, sitting himself down as he waited.

Doctor Finkelstein reeled himself back in his mechanical wheelchair, staring at Sora with a fixed look. He didn't know what to say to the boy without sounding harsh, so he decided to just keep quiet and leave him alone. He headed towards his desk, already preparing for his next experiment.

Zero floated over to Sora, giving him a sympathetic look. Although knowing it was futile, Sora smiled at the red nosed, ghost dog, petting through his transparent form. Transparent; he looked over at Namine, knowing she was whole for now, but he knew under that body, it was slowly disappearing. They all still didn't know why such a thing was happening to her; and whoever did know, would probably be someone from Organization XIII.

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Namine continued to hold Roxas to her, her eyes still streaming down tears of seeing him. Roxas was able to pull her back though, "Long time no see, Namine." She began to cry once more, punching his chest, "Where were you!? How can you leave me alone!? You promised to be here with me! How am I suppose to exist without you here, Roxas?" Her voice became muffled as he pulled her into his chest, her body trembling against him.

He began to whimper, "I'm sorry, but I had to. I can't return to you." She looked up at him, "At least tell me where you are." He shook his head, "I…I can't. Namine; you won't like what you'll see. I…I…" She shook her head, smiling at him as she shut him up with a soft kiss. They both moaned from the lost sensation, their tongues finding each other after a long absence.

She let go of his trembling lips, finding his taste to be just like sea-salt ice cream. She spoke, her eyes glittering with devotion for him, "What have you done that may cause me to hate you?" He swallowed, not knowing what to say.

Namine's fear slowly began to resurface, shaking her head, "Roxas…?" He shook his head, his head beginning to hurt; his distress causing the area around them to crack into places. Namine looked around them, finding everything beginning to shatter and fall apart, broken shards falling to show darkness behind the illusion of Twilight Town.

Namine swiftly turned to Roxas, seeing him begin to be drawn back from her. She reached out a hand towards him, shouting his name, "Roxas!" He looked up at her, tears visible in his azure eyes as they began to turn yellow, draping a hand over the right side of his face as he lifted his other hand towards her. His usual checkered design cloths began to transform into his Organization attire, black mist forming the dark cloak and erasing his current cloths. Roxas's face contorted with that of fear and anguish, shouting towards the girl who was being pulled away from him, "Namine!" They both tried to get to each other, the shattering image of Twilight Town breaking their path. The floor soon burst into pieces, causing them to fall into deep darkness. Both Nobodies called out to each other as they fell, their dreams falling into it's own void of broken pieces.

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Roxas's head felt like it was about to break open, his eyes widening from the racing images of Namine. He saw the breaking memories flee out of his mind, taking in the form of ripped papers. He tried to catch each one with his hands, trying to put them back in their place within him; but each time he grabbed one, it burned into ashes within his grasp. He managed to get a couple though, using his powers to prevent them from catching on fire.

He called out one last time, his cry echoing around him, "Namine!!!" He hit the floor, gasping in pain from the hard collision. He whimpered, tears falling over the side of his face as the memories faded and settled down. His eyes were yellow again, but they still held a hint of blue that was fading away.

He whined, wincing from the pain he was receiving from his head, grasping his empty heart as something twisted within him. He closed his eyes, trying to fight back the darkness that was beginning to surround him. He reached out, hoping to feel a hand, a hand that belonged to a young blonde haired girl; but this time, it never came, and he was engulfed by darkness.

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Namine fell to the ground, her back colliding harshly upon soft land. She winced, tears visible on her cheeks as they still continued to fall. She looked up above her, gasping out, "Roxas…no…" She sat up, burying her wet face into her hands as she wept and trembled; just when she thought she had him back. She lifted her face slightly out of her hands to breathe, revealing her puffy red face. She questioned the changes to his features as he was pulled away from her, her mind racing with what was going on.

She soon found the chance to see where she was, recognizing the area right away as the dark beach. Her eyes opened in shock, "This is…" She got up from the ground, scouting the area of the small beach, noticing the pale moon in the distance. It was very cold there, nothing like the warmth she felt at the beach in Twilight Town. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms with her hands to rub some heat back into her body.

She walked up to the shore, feeling the freezing temperature of the water wash over her sandaled feet. She asked to no one in particular, "Why am I here?" She soon heard a slight chuckle, making her become alert that she wasn't alone.

She turned to the side, spotting someone with a feminine figure sitting down a large rock by the shore. What caught her attention the most, though, was that the figure was wearing an Organization outfit. Namine gulped, "Who…who are you?" The person got up from the rock, replying back to her, "You probably don't remember me, but; you might if I do this." The person took off her hood, revealing her face to Namine. She had black short hair, the length being similar to Kairi's when she was younger, including deep blue eyes that matched.

Namine's eyes widened in shock as she gasped out the person's name, "Xi…Xion…!"

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "OMFG, it's Xion! WTF!? Anyway, fast update, huh? Also, am I being to angst? Maybe, but it's the way I like my fics. Angst and drama all the way for me! I needed to update for you guys, especially to the reviewers who still continue to leave a review. By the way, this chapter is dedicated to my 300th reviewer, **Sora's Savior**! You're not only the person who reviews the most, but you're also the 300th reviewer to my _Nobodies Could Feel Passion Too_! Funny how it turned out to be you :D. Thank you so much for your long reviews, they mean a lot to me, but it's not only you; I thank all my readers and reviewers for supporting this fic. I'm just really happy right now that I came to 300 reviews. I REALLY didn't think I was going to get this much reviews when I first started this story, but turns out, a lot of people like it. So, I dedicate this chapter to all of you, especially to **Sora's Savior** for being the 300th reviewer! Until the next upcoming chapter; which may contain some spoilers to the new game, since I've kind of played it and know what happens already!"

Roxas: "Continue to review and support Namixas love!"


	21. Off to Beast's Castle

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts!"

Kiome-Yasha: "Wow, another update! Yeah, this to all you Namixas supporters out there! For those of you who reviewed, I'm glad to hear that you would never turn away the love you have for Roxas and Namine! Also, thank you for the review **Sora's Savior**, I really enjoy character development above all else in writing, and I try to bring that in this fanfic; without trying to be OOC that is. Anyway, since I didn't want to make you guys wait for such a climax between Xion and Namine, I decided to update right away. FYI, in case you guys didn't know before, there's going to be a sequel to this fic; I finally decided it. **WARNING THOUGH, THIS CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE NEW KINGDOM HEARTS GAME REGARDING TO XION, SO BE PREPARED WHEN READING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!"**

Chapter 21 Off to Beast's Castle

Roxas's woke up with a start, sweat pouring down his face and body. His cloak was glued to him, making him feel dirty and disgusted. He unzipped the front of his coat a little, feeling a cool breeze wash over him.

Finally feeling a little bit comfortable, he placed a hand to his drenched forehead, wiping off the hot sweat off him.

Roxas's eyes became hazy, shifting themselves with fright over the nightmare he just had. His eyes were officially gold, and he only had little memory over what his dream was about. He believed he remembered a girl with light blonde hair and blue eyes, with a completion that reminded him of an angel; but he couldn't really tell who she was or even if she was real. Somehow though, he knew she was important to him, he just didn't know how. The harder he tried to remember, the more his head hurt.

Roxas shook his head, clearing his mind before he made himself feel sick. The girl, though, still wouldn't leave his mind; her back turned from as she kept her face hidden. He asked the silence in his room, "Why can't I remember? Na…" Just when he thought he had something, a knock soon came from his door. Not to lose his composure over the matter, Roxas fiercely took his attention to the door, his eyes burning brightly with urgency.

He asked, his voice sounding hoarse, "What is it?" The person answered, revealing it to be Saix, "Superior wishes to see you. He needs you to perform a task for him before your departure with Xaldin to Beast's Castle." Roxas got up from his misshapen bed, straightening his coat up before opening the door.

Saix stepped back for the young Nobody, already leading him the way with no other exchange of words. As they walked down the hall, Saix took great care in noticing the yellow glow that was coming from Roxas's once stormy blue eyes.

He smiled, noticing that the first step was complete; and that phase two had already begun.

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Namine was shocked to say the least to see Xion, the girl who was actually considered a failed clone of Sora. Last time she knew and remembered, she was the only person left to know about the girl, considering her power of memory manipulation. It was Namine's powers in the first place that caused the girl's suffering, and she felt guilt to say the least to what had happened to her in the end. Because of such events, Namine was forced to erase the memories of anyone that was ever in contact with Xion, although not entirely; for some side effects may have taken place.

The only person who somehow avoided her powers was the leader of the Organization, Xemnas; which she had no idea how he could hold such power.

Xion smiled slightly at Namine, "It's been awhile, Namine. I really only got to meet you once, so it's nice to see you again for the second time." Namine asked, becoming confused, "Xion, is that really you?" The girl nodded, "Yes, it's me. Funny, I remember there was a time when I was asking you all the questions; not the other way around." Namine looked down at the ground, too many memories floating back into her that dealt with the girl in front of her. So many memories she had that belonged to others, one in particular that she wished she could get rid of; even if it did sound selfish of her.

It didn't makes sense to her though; why was Xion here, when she had clearly died in Roxas's arms?

Xion spoke, reading Namine's mind, "I'm here, the same reason why Axel is somehow still here in limbo." That's when concern struck Namine, "Axel!" Xion calmed her, "Don't worry, he's fine. I saved him from the creature that had attacked you guys." Namine gave a sigh of relief, feeling glad to hear the good news.

As the water from the dark ocean continued to wash peacefully against the shore, Namine asked, "What did you mean by being stuck in limbo?" Xion sat down on the rock, speaking as she signaled Namine over, "Axel is a Nobody, while myself is just a clone, but we both have something in common; we both seek what lies beyond that door." Namine's memory with Axel recalled the door she believed Xion was talking about, many mysteries rising of where the door led. Xion continued, "I may had died that day, but my conscience keeps existing. The only thing that truly vanished that day was my body and the memories of Sora. Other then that, I still hold my own memories that deal with Roxas and Axel from the majority of my stay in the Organization."

Namine nodded, understanding a little over the predicament. She asked, becoming more perplexed, "Then why are you here? I mean, why is it you wanted to see me?" The short black haired girl turned to Namine, "Because, Namine, I believe you and Roxas hold the key to the Organization XIII's plot; mainly you." She became shocked over the news, "What do you mean? How do I involve in their plan?" She answered her theory, "I think it has something to do with your invisibility lately. I really can't say for sure." She sighed, "It's bad enough, Roxas is…" That took Namine's attention right away.

She asked, pulling on Xion's sleeve, as she was still dressed in her old Organization attire, "You know about where Roxas is?" She feared the answer, remembering her own speculation, but she just had to make sure; a part of her believing she was wrong. Xion looked down at the pleading girl's eyes that had stolen Roxas's heart. Xion had to admit, she never thought or predicted the two ever meeting, less thought of them actually falling in love. But it happened, and looking into the girl's eyes proved to her that it was more real than any other person who had a heart.

She took a crestfallen expression, "I'm sorry, Namine. I really don't have the answers you're really looking for. The only thing I could say is that Roxas has changed; and down the road, things would probably never be the same." The answer she gave to her wasn't a comforting one, but it would have to do.

Namine collapsed to the ground, feeling a little drained out from the answer she was given. She asked, her voice sounding weak, "Is that the reason why you showed yourself to me? Just to tell me that!" Tears were starting to become visible in her eyes, but they were angry tears. Xion looked apologetic, but remained still in her place.

Namine shook her head, "I really don't care what happens to me. I never did, I only care for Roxas's well being, even at the cost of going against Ansem's orders. And what did you do!?" Xion was taken back from Namine's words, but she knew where she was getting at.

She shouted at the girl, "You! A person Roxas's actually considered as a friend! You tried to suck him up, just for your own benefit in becoming your own person! You were willing for him to disappear! How can you ever do that him?" Realizing what she was saying, Namine tried to calm herself down.

She turned the other way, refusing to look at Xion, "I'm sorry…but…" Xion shook her head slowly, "No, you have the right to think that way about me. After all, it's all true." She got up from her seat, "For what it's worth, Namine. I'm glad he was able to find someone as you to give him a reason to exist." Namine spoke, "If that's true, then how come he's…" Xion answered, "Because; you disappearing will be the moment he feels he doesn't exist anymore."

Namine turned to the girl, tears falling beautifully across her pale, but red plush cheeks. Xion smiled, "Roxas is able to wield two Keyblades because of me, and because of that, he's able to fight twice as hard…for you. But I'm here to warn you, Namine." She caught the girl's attention, continuing what she had to say, "Down this journey, there will be many doors opening to the truth; things that you will not like. What you'll face will be something you could never escape from; for it is your destiny."

Words from Yen Sid came back to her, "My destiny?" Xion nodded, "And unfortunately, Roxas plays a big part of it as well." The clone had looked upset from her words, finding only tragedy to lye ahead for the two Nobodies.

Namine was just having more questions than answers, having no clue what was going on anymore. She was usually the one who held all the answers, but it seems like everything had turned on her.

She asked becoming disturbed over Xion's words, "I don't understand. What is it that I need to do?" Xion smiled sadly, "It's like Riku told me. You have to discover that on your own." Soon, everything began to feel light to Namine, causing the small beach to become cloudy and disoriented.

The smashing of the waves seemed to stop, causing time to stand still. Namine looked around, finding everything begin to melt away.

She became frightened, wanting to get more answers out of Xion before she woke up from her dream, "Wait!" Xion spoke as she began to fade away herself, "This is goodbye for now, Namine. Don't give up on Roxas, for the two of you hold the key to…"

Namine couldn't hear the last words to what Xion had to say, seeing as her eyes were already opened to meet with Sora's.

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Roxas and Saix had reached the grand hall of the Nobodies, spotting Xemnas inside with other people who Roxas's wasn't familiar with. They walked forward, causing Xemnas to turn around and welcome them, "Ah, there you are. I was hoping you could do a little something for me before you head off to your next mission." Roxas glared at the man, "What is it?"

He turned to the captured prisoners, "I want you to take their hearts." They all gasped, fear overcoming their features. Roxas stared at them, his face showing no emotions of any source as he drew out his keyblades, "Understood. I want to leave as soon as possible." Nobody creatures sprouted out from the ground, already holding the prisoners down.

The first person Roxas approached was Tron, who fought with his might to wiggle free from the Nobodies grasp. He didn't give a second thought as he pierced the digital man into the chest, taking out his heart. The heart automatically turned black, Tron collapsing to the ground. Queen Minnie and Mulan were still from the sight, not believing that they were about to share the same fate; it was like an execution.

Tron's body started to fade away, Roxas already turning towards his next victim of choice, which was Mulan.

Mulan put up a better fight than Tron did, but she only made more Nobodies appear to strap her down. Xemnas grinned wickedly with such malevolence, that it was hard to see any remorse as Roxas took Mulan's heart away. Mulan coughed from the struggle of losing her heart, falling into the ground as she tried to keep her existence, but she too began to fade away.

The next person that was up was Queen Minnie Mouse herself, who stayed where she was as she looked up at Roxas.

Xemnas chuckled, "I never thought I would have Queen Minnie Mouse's heart in my collection." The little mouse retorted, "Xehanort, you swine!" He just looked at her with a forlorn look from the name.

She pleaded to Roxas to snap out of his senses, "Roxas, please, stop this at once! Don't you know your being used?" He stared down at the Queen of Disney Castle, his keyblade drawn back to strike.

Minnie gave a sorrowful reply, "Have you really turned yourself into the darkness, Roxas?" She looked up at him, tears visible in her big eyes, "What about Namine? How do you think she'll react to what you're doing?" That caught his attention right away, asking the Queen a question, "Namine? Is she the girl with the blonde hair?" That caught Minnie off guard, "Roxas, what are you saying? Have you completely forgotten about…" She couldn't finish that sentence as she was in shock.

She glared over to Xemnas, "What did you do to him!?" He simply replied with a cool voice, "Why, your Highness. I did nothing of any source; Roxas merely has fallen too deep into to the darkness to ever find 'his' light." Roxas shook his head, finding himself to be in deep thought, not understanding what was going on. The only thing he knew was that he had to take the Queen's heart.

He prepared his keyblade once again, finding his mind made up in what he had to do. Minnie Mouse wouldn't have it though, casting a ray of light out of her hand as she blinded them all, making her escape.

Xemnas growled, "After her!" Roxas took off after the Queen, calling out his Samurai Nobodies to help him in his pursuit.

Saix turned to Xemnas, "Superior, it would seem as though Roxas still holds some memories regarding to Namine. This may cause a problem." Xemnas grinned, holding confidence in his plan, "Don't worry, give him some time to forget." He turned the other way, "If you'll excuse me, I have some business that must be intended to. See that once Roxas takes the Queen's heart that him and Xaldin are to leave admittedly."

Saix bowed to the leader of the Organization, "Understood."

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Namine sat up from the hard metal, platform bed, groaning as she felt her body become stiff. Sora admittedly ask how she was doing, "Namine, are you alright?" The girl wiped some tears that appeared on her face, "I…I'm…fine." She didn't know how else to rely, seeing as she had many things running through her head at that moment.

She finally was able to meet Roxas in a dream, only to lose him shortly afterwards. She didn't even get to know where he was; only that he was hiding something from her. She was able to see Xion in her dreams, which was bazaar even for the young witch who could manipulate memories. She soon remembered Xion's fading words, never did quite getting the last part to what she was about to say. This caused Namine to have a headache, thinking too hard over the matter.

Sora helped Namine off the bed, helping her steady herself. He soon caught her invisible hand, catching it in his, "Namine, you're fading?" She looked down at her hand, concentrating on it to make it solid again.

She whispered to Sora, "I think I'm running out of time. I need to get to Roxas." He nodded, remembering the orders he received from Riku, "Yeah, we'll leave right now."

He turned to Finkelstein, "Thank you for all your help, Professor. We'll be going now."

He wheeled himself over to them, "You take care now." He actually sounded like he cared, which caught Sora by surprise. He turned to the window that was covered in bars, spotting Jack's house from up the hill, "Tell Jack our goodbyes too. I know he'll probably be isolated from everyone for a while, but please do tell him of our leave." The professor cracked his head open, revealing his brain as he scratched it with worry, "I'll see that I tell him."

With that, Namine followed Sora out the door, her mind drifting over to the events. She soon became perplexed, wondering why would Jack isolate himself in the first place…unless.

She stopped right away from their walk to the Gummi Ship, asking Sora in a low tone, "Sora, what happened to Sally?" The Keyblade hero halted himself, cursing under his breath; if possible, he wanted to avoid the question from coming up.

He slowly turned to Namine, becoming extremely silent as he looked up at her frozen body. She lifted her head, tears already cascading down, "She lost her heart, didn't she?" He sighed irritably, nodding as his only answer to her.

Namine collapsed, causing Sora to catch her from falling to the ground. He whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry, Namine. I failed to save her, I'm so sorry." Namine continued to cry into his arms, not wanting the information to be true.

She shook while she was in Sora's arms, not believing that someone could do such a thing. Sally was such a sweet person to her, she understood her feelings even when she was a puppet and she a Nobody. She couldn't help but to hiccup over her falling tears. She may have just met her, but she still considered their short friendship to be meaningful.

Sora tried to convince Namine to get a grip on herself, "Namine, come on. We have to go." He held onto her, leading her the way to the Gummi Ship; a few sniffles being heard from time to time from the young Nobody girl.

They reached their destination, Sora already having the Gummi Ship ready for take off. He knew they had to leave right away, needing to stop Roxas at all cost from taking another heart.

He helped Namine into her seat, climbing onboard the ship and sitting himself in the pilot seat. She kept quiet as Sora checked the status, making sure they were clear to launch into space.

Although she was now calm, Namine had thoughts running through her head of what happened before she was knocked out. She touched the back of her head, feeling a small bump as her eyes furrowed. She looked up at the back of Sora's head, her mind racing with the possibilities of whom it was that took Sally's heart. She remembered her surprise in seeing his face under that hood, the glimpse she got from when he saved her from that heartless; but she just couldn't believe it.

She thought maybe Sora knew the truth; he had to; he wouldn't lie to her over something like this, would he?

She remembered that the person wearing the dark cloak had yellow eyes; but she also felt Roxas's presence from those same eyes. All it took was to ask Sora if was Roxas who took Sally's heart; who else could it have been?

Namine grasped the front of her dress, feeling the ship begin to shake as Sora turned the engine on. She suddenly spoke out, catching Sora off guard, "Sora?" He hummed to her, letting her know she had his attention, "Where are we headed?" Namine knew she changed her question out of fear in knowing the truth, but he answered her question, "We're heading to Beast's Castle. We'll be meeting with some good friends of mine there." He began to lift the ship up, causing it to float in mid air.

Namine shook her head, knowing the question she really wanted to ask. She spoke up again, "Sora?" He droned from her call, "You wouldn't lie to me if you knew where Roxas was; would you?" He kept silent, so she continued, "Please, tell me. Was it really Roxas who took Sally's heart? Was it him that was under that hooded cloak the whole time?"

There was a long silence between them, causing Namine to bite her lips with eagerness to know what his answer could be.

Sora let out a long sigh, turning to Namine with a huge grin plastered on his face, "Namine! You know that it wasn't him! I think you're being too paranoid. Wherever Roxas is, I know he's doing fine and is doing whatever he can to save you. But I don't think he would ever find his answer with the Organization, I mean their evil. So, come on, buck up. I promise you, we'll find him." He smiled at her once more with a big smile, before turning himself around to hide his true expression of concern.

Namine was silent, not believing Sora's happy-go-lucky words, but taking them at heart since he never broke his promises to her.

She only nodded, feeling discomfort plague over her body as her mind drifted to where Roxas could be.

They then took off, heading towards Beast's Castle with full speed, preparing to unlock the next keyhole to darkness.

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Roxas was right on Minnie's tail, his speed being way better than her own as they ran down a certain hall in the castle. It wasn't long until Minnie Mouse found herself at a dead end, turning swiftly around to meet with Roxas's burning orbs of gold.

She gulped, her resort for escape being her last chance to survive from her heart being taken away. She spoke, placing her hands behind her, "Roxas, I know you're not a bad person. If you just return with me, I know we can save Namine together." She lifted a gloved hand of four fingers to him, hoping that he would take it as an offering of peace; too bad for her, Roxas had succumbed himself to far in the darkness to be saved by her.

He pushed her hand away from him in disgust, which caused her to shake her head in despair. She looked up at him, the space between them getting smaller, "I'm truly sorry." There was another flash of light, and before Roxas could jump over to see what was going on, Minnie Mouse was already gone.

He was confused, wondering how such a person could hold such power to escape their headquarters. He soon heard some footsteps behind him, causing him to turn around and his Samurai Nobodies to disappear.

He noticed Saix with Xaldin right away, Saix speaking for the both of them, "I see that she escape." Roxas just kept silent, knowing he failed to capture her.

Saix bent his head forward, "It doesn't matter. One less heart for our Kingdom Hearts is not a total lost. We'll be sure to get more soon." Xaldin made a portal appear, "We should go right away to our destination." He entered the portal, leaving Roxas with Saix for a moment.

Roxas was still disturbed over what was going on around him. Minnie Mouse's words had struck something inside him that made him feel dejected over what he was doing.

He shook out of it though when he heard Saix speak to him, "You should get going, Xaldin already went ahead and the Superior wants you to leave admittedly." He nodded, walking towards the dark portal with no second thought.

Saix spoke once again, "Xaldin shall fill you in on the details of whose heart you are to achieve. Good luck." While putting his hood up to hide his face, Roxas entered and vanished within the void.

After it was clear that they were gone, Saix started to head down the halls to meet with their leader. While this was going on, he never noticed the blonde haired Savage Nymph hiding in the shadows.

Larxene contemplated to herself, biting the tip of her thumb with her sharp teeth, "What's going on here; Roxas losing his memories of Namine? Not only that, there's something suspicious going on here over Kingdom Hearts." She lifted herself off the wall, "Looks like I'm going to have to try be part of Roxas's next mission."

She then took off to see if she could convince Marluxia in talking to the Superior for her, arranging such a plan; finding she was too bored and uninterested to see the Superior herself.

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Minnie Mouse gasped as she landed herself on a wasteland of mountains in the world known as Radiant Garden. She gave a relieving sigh as she found herself alone, finding that she wasn't followed.

She looked over to the village that wasn't too far off, "I need to find Mickey." She hurried off with her big feet, but small legs, seeing as she needed to hurry. She needed to let him know that she was all right, but not only that, she needed to let him know what was going on with Roxas without letting Namine know.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Sora and Namine were quiet the whole time during their ride in the Gummi Ship, finding them to be in deep thought over the situation they were in.

It wasn't too long though when Sora decided to speak, "We'll be at Beast's Castle soon, Namine." She only nodded, staring off into the distance, watching stars that were displayed in the empty darkness.

He looked down at the panel, seeing the map begin to beep as they neared their destination. Sora pulled the wheel back, already settling the ship down to descend upon the world.

He thought to himself as they entered the atmosphere, '_I wonder if Roxas we'll be here. If he does turn up, I can't be sure if I can keep my promise to Namine any longer.'_ He turned around, smiling at the pale girl who smiled back for a brief moment before turning back to the window.

They settled outside the castle's forest, landing carefully over the rough ground. Sora sighed, pressing the button to open the cockpit. He jumped out of the ship, helping Namine out as he looked around to make sure there wasn't any danger lurking around.

Namine spoke as she grabbed onto him, "I can already sense the keyhole." He was surprised, "Already?" She nodded, "It's inside the castle. I know that for sure." He nodded, "Alright, then this will be a piece of cake. Lets get this over with."

Sora made sure to keep the Gummi ship secured before entering through the gates of the castle with Namine. Nothing looked suspicious so far; that was until they heard Beast call out to them with a menacing roar, "Sora! Look out!"

They both gasped, already becoming surrounded by multiple heartless, ready to attack them at anytime.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "I rushed when it came to typing this story, so I pray that there aren't too many mistakes. I love how I made Namine say basically to Xion, 'I love him more bitch, so there!' it made me smile inside. I won't say that I hate Xion, but I can't say I like the girl either. Xion was about to say something important to the plot, but I cut her off before she could ruin it for you guys too soon. So, off to Beast's Castle they go, wonder what we'll happen. Also, Sora still tries to keep Namine out of the loop; why, because he kept a promise and Sora never breaks a promise even to a backstabber like Roxas. Don't worry though; Namine is bound to find out the truth eventually. Also, I need to ask you guys something relating to my fanfiction. Do you think I should change the title to the story, or keep it the same? Lend me your thoughts on it, if you kindly could."

Roxas: "Review if you want an update!"


	22. Forgotten Within the Darkness

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Heart! Those bastards from Square-Enix do!"

Kiome-Yasha: "I know, I'm suppose to be away on vacation and I am, I'm just updating once more before I leave. This chapter is long, but it's going to be worth it for all of you when I jump in that plane. Plus, once again, with Namixas pumping through my veins hard and true, I write my chapter for all of you!"

Chapter 22 Forgotten within the Darkness

Roxas and Xigbar appeared through the dark portal, finding themselves to be on top of Beast's castle. Roxas peered over to Xaldin with his hood up, "So, what's my target?"

Lances floated ominously with no attachment around Xaldin, as he pointed one of his lances to the target below. Roxas looked down to where the lance aimed, finding the next victim he was to attack for their heart. He was prepared to jump down, wanting to get the mission over with as soon as possible; but something stopped him.

He spotted the girl who was in his head, but her name and any memory of her escaped him. Xaldin noticed Roxas's hesitation, "What's the matter?" He came up with an excuse; "There are others there. I'll wait for another opportunity." He shielded himself back, turning around to find an entrance to the castle.

Xaldin watched his figure leave; he then turned over to Namine who was down below.

He had a fixed glare on his face, "It would seem that you are still with him. Or, is it something else that's making him not forget you. I shall fix that in order to achieve Superior's plan to be a success." He then went to follow after Roxas, his long dark cloak bellowing in the wind in an ominous foreshadowing of his plot.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Belle stood behind Beast as he rushed to aid Sora and Namine right away, fear overtaking her for their safety. The Beast let out a roar as he thrashed the heartless away like rag dolls, trying to reach Sora and Namine as they tried to defend themselves from the horde.

Sora swiftly slashed his keyblade left to right, making sure to keep Namine in his view. He pulled off his skill 'Sonic Blade', fiercely tackling heartless left to right with the point of his keyblade. Namine dodged the upcoming heartless, for some reason they were focused in getting her then Sora.

Sora then heard the Beast yell out to him, "Sora!" He knew from the tone in his voice what they had to do. He jumped over to Beast, the both of them attacking together with their joint effort in getting rid of the heartless. The both of them let out a strong battle cry, both attacking the opposite direction with a large force of energy to wipe the heartless out.

When all the black smoke was cleared, Namine collapsed to the ground while Belle ran over to Beast to see if he was all right. Sora went over to Namine, checking if she was hurt, "Namine, are you okay? You don't look too well." She heaved air in and out of her, grasping her fists to the ground tightly as she tried to compose herself.

She smiled weakly up at Sora, "I'm fine." He didn't look convinced as he looked down at her arm, spotting the problem right away. He spoke, concern etching his features, "It looks like it's spreading. What's causing it to move so quickly?" The first thing that came to his mind was Roxas, but then he remembered the Organization having a hand in all this as well.

He gritted his teeth, not understanding any of it; but he would find the answers.

He helped Namine up, finding that she made her arm whole again after a few more seconds. He knew that fighting whatever it was that was happening to her was taking its toll on her. Sweat was visible on her face, dripping down her angelic features that were formed in distress.

She pushed him away, not wanting to be a burden. Sora ignored the treatment, not bothering to argue with her, as she would protest against him.

He heard Beast call out to them, "Sora, what brings you back here?" He answered, gesturing his hands as they walked forward to him and Belle, "My friend and I are here for many reasons. We're looking for something that is shaped like a keyhole; know anything about it? It's very important for us to get to it."

Both Belle and Beast looked at each before turning their attentions back to them. Belle spoke, pressing a firm hand to her chest, "There was one that appeared in the ballroom. It was dark and I felt evil resting on the other side of it. When we looked to see what it was, heartless attacked out of nowhere. They even sealed off the ballroom with a dark barrier. We ran for our lives since we were ambushed."

Sora sighed with grief, "It never could be easy." He looked over to Namine, "I guess we can go see what this barrier thing is all about." She nodded, speaking timidly to Belle and Beast, "Can you show us where the ballroom is?"

They nodded, but curiosity got the better of Belle, "We would gladly help. But, can I ask who you are, dear?"

Namine answered, "I'm Namine. I'm friends with Sora on a special quest." Sora looked troubled as she said this, knowing the dangers already from when they would unlock the keyhole to darkness.

He warned them right away, "I have to say this now. That keyhole is the reason why were here. We have to unlock it in order to get to our enemy's base. But, when that happens, I can't guarantee that you guys would be safe."

As Sora said this, Beast became furious, "Then you may not enter! Why should we help you when you're risking our lives for your benefit!" Both Namine and Sora felt shame overcome them, knowing he was right.

Belle though, wouldn't have it, "Beast! These are our friends! We have to help them! I know it sounds dangerous, but I know in their hearts they've come with good intentions." She turned to them and smiled a motherly like smile. She then glared back over to him, "If you won't help them, then I will."

She turned swiftly away from him, heading towards the entrance of the castle where the rest of the castle's residences were waiting for them. She looked over her shoulder, finding Sora and Namine standing still where they were; too afraid to move in case Beast might attack them.

She giggled, "Don't mind him, he's just a big softy underneath all that growl. Follow me!" They jogged over to her as Beast gave a low 'humph', following behind them as well. He never could win when it came to Belle; and that's one of the reasons why he loved her.

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They entered inside the castle, spotting black spots that held heartless all around the large lobby room. Sora drew his keyblade out right away, but found that the heartless haven't attacked them yet.

He drew his keyblade back, his face forming a questioning look, "That's weird. Why aren't they attacking us?"

Belle explained as they neared the dark covered door, "We questioned that ourselves, but I think it's linked to that keyhole that appeared here in the castle." The Beast hunched his back as he walked beside them, growling at the still heartless.

Namine whispered over to Sora as they climbed up the stairs, "Do you think by unlocking the keyhole that they'll attack?" He murmured back to her, "That, or when we take this barrier off." They stood in front of the large doors that led to the ballroom, looking up at the darkness that pulsed over it.

Namine spoke aloud, almost as something came over her as she felt the presence inside, "It's there." Sora looked over to her, "I could feel the keyhole as if it was a part of me." He became confused, wondering how she was able to do that.

He questioned no further, walking up to the door to expect it. The result only led him to be thrown back by a powerful force. He fell down the stairs and landed at the end of them, feeling woozy over the force.

Namine snapped out of her trance, turning to Sora, "Sora, are you all right?"

He gave a thumb up, "I'm perfect." He didn't sound too happy though from being thrown back.

He marched back up the steps, placing a hand underneath his chin to massage it as he placed his other under his elbow. He asked aloud, "How do we solve this?" He received an answer right away from a small childish voice, "Maybe you can use that key of yours, Sora!" They all looked down to discover that the voice belonged to Chip.

Namine agreed, picking up the small teacup, "He's right, Sora! Why don't you try it?" He nodded, pulling out his keyblade from a collection of magic dust.

Everybody waited in anticipation as he drew his keyblade high, the darkness that was covering the door becoming immobile from the weapon.

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Xaldin and Roxas walked through the halls of the castle, finding the entrance lobby to be their main destination to reach Sora and the others.

Xaldin kept looking over at Roxas, trying to deceiver in how to go about in making Roxas participate in losing his interest in Namine. He noticed Xaldin's stare and became aggravated, "Is there something wrong? Because I'm getting annoyed." Xaldin ignored the youth's dark tone, his burning yellow eyes seeking his for answers underneath his dark hood.

He spoke, "I have question." They continued walking, Roxas remaining silent.

He took that as a sign that the boy didn't care, "Do you know why you are here? In the Organization?" He halted, actually taking deep thought into that question.

Xaldin waited patiently, wanting to know if Namine was hindering the effects of his leader's plan.

Roxas stood there in silence; a face he couldn't get rid of no matter how deep the darkness appearing in his mind.

Sweat began to appear on his head as he concentrated over his mission and purpose. He felt like his purpose of being here was connected to that girl. He couldn't remember her, but he was sure what he was doing was for her; it just had to be. If not, what purpose does he have?

Flashbacks started playing in his head, a whisper haunting him, '_I love you…'_

He gripped his head, making Xaldin curious over the reaction. Roxas looked up ahead, his eyes blazing with great fire of yellow. He whispered, trying to arrange his mind to answer Xaldin's question, "There's something important to me that I can't risk in losing. That's all I know. Whatever it is…" He began to walk ahead, "…. I know what I'm doing is for that person…"

Xaldin knew right away that he was referring to Namine, which made things a little difficult. She was the key to everything towards Xemnas's plan; but it is Roxas's cooperation that is their prime concern to establish his motive for Kingdom Hearts.

He took a deep thought as they saw the entrance to the lobby room not too far ahead, '_Namine is still processing herself through Roxas. It would seem as though I need to snap that bond as soon as possible. Starting by breaking her 'heart'.' _He looked over at Roxas, remembering the reason why Xemnas had appointed him to be Roxas's partner for this mission.

They walked through the passageway, becoming undetected in the shadows. Roxas completely was oblivious to Xaldin's role to their mission, spotting Namine and the others by a large door.

He pressed himself against the wall, his attention right away on his target. He looked over at Xaldin, "I want you to serve as a distraction. Try to separate themselves from each other while I go for the heart." The bulky man with dark hair nodded, already adjusting his lances to fire over at the unsuspecting group.

Roxas looked over at Namine, his eyes becoming teary over seeing her. He touched his face, finding tears to be slowly falling over his cheeks. Xaldin was unaware of this as he went to charge his lances for the surprise attack.

He was bewildered over the warm tears, "What is this that I'm feeling?" He gripped his chest, his memories becoming cloudy. He banged his back against the wall, tears continuing to fall from the breaking memories he couldn't see.

He gritted his teeth, "Dammit, what does that girl have to do with anything?" He pulled out his keyblades, knowing he had to get himself together in order to accomplish his mission; but why? The darkness within him had no answer as his light dimmed down once more.

He whispered quietly, the name he called being foreign to him; and yet; so nostalgic.

"Nam…." The name completely shattered as it fell into the abyss.

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Sora raised the keyblade, preparing to shoot off a beam of light to the door to break the barrier. The chances of performing the task though was broken as multiple lances pierced down over them; luckily, no one was hurt.

Sora had bent down and shielded himself from the assault, turning around instantly, only to find Xaldin standing on a balcony held by pillars. He growled as the Beast roared at the too familiar Nobody, "Xaldin!"

He grinned, "Ah, did you miss me, Beast? I'm so displeased over my welcome here. Sorry, but I can't allow you to press any further. Not until we get what we came here for." Right away, Sora knew what he was talking about.

He began to become frantic, his mind racing over to the characters beside him. '_Which one are they going after!?'_ He looked over to Belle, finding her to be the best candidate; she was after all one of the princesses of heart.

He looked up at Xaldin, finding Roxas not to be with him. He clenched his keyblade tightly, '_I can't take the risk in becoming separated from them. But, I need to fight in order to pass through, but Roxas might be here waiting in the damn shadows! Argh, why can't anything be easy for me?"_ Xaldin magically drew his lances back to him, ready to start a fight at anytime.

Sora turned to the Beast, "I'll take care of this loser! Beast I need you to protect Belle and the others!" He protested Sora's orders right away, "I won't let you do as you please. Xaldin is mine after what he did last time."

Sora growled, letting go of his own temper from all the pressure he was under, "Listen to me! You have to do this! Belle might be in danger and I can't just ignore this guy!" The Beast was silent, taken back from Sora's own outburst. He soon nodded, understanding that their predicament wasn't to be taken likely.

He took charge, beckoning Belle and the others to leave the room and escape.

Sora turned to Namine and gave her a stern look, "Namine, I want you to follow them. I can't have myself worrying about you while I try to figure things out." She looked uneasy from his plan, but she agreed without much hesitation. She went to go follow Beast and the rest of the castle's residence out to safety.

He made sure they were out of the room before taking his attention back to Xaldin. He aimed the tip of his keyblade to the Nobody, "Before I go and kick your ass! Tell me; is Roxas here?"

The man chuckled, "Why don't you try to beat it out of me for that answer?" Sora gripped his keyblade with both of his hands, grinding his teeth together as he took charge. He had enough; he needed to get answers now!

Xaldin lifted his hands in the air, summoning his lances up high in the air and striking them forward at Sora. He dodged them as quick as possible, jumping over the upcoming long objects.

He jumped over a pillar, raising his keyblade up high and letting out a cry. Xaldin expected his attack though, swinging his arm to cast out lances at the hero. Sora gasped in pain as both lances grazed his shoulder and side, making him fall back and hit the pillar behind him.

He gripped his shoulder as he fell to the ground, his other hand gripping his keyblade with great force. He struggled back up on his feet, spitting out blood from his mouth as he felt the blow from his side cause major damage to his inner organs.

He got up, ignoring the pain as he jumped forward, casting out thundaga spells to repel the charging lances. He was able to get on the rail of the balcony, balancing himself as he guarded himself from Xaldin's assault. He jumped over, landing a strike on the Nobody's shoulder, pushing him back with powerful force.

Xaldin fell to the ground, chuckling as he held onto his own shoulder, "Not bad…" Sora pointed his keyblade at him, "No more, tell me if Roxas is here?" The man laughed under his breath, "I wonder if he's here indeed…." The man began to rise, causing Sora to become alert as he stepped back.

He spoke; transforming his lances to a form Sora was all too familiar with, "Poor girl, in love with a beast to the darkness; a result that is of her own doing for her existence." Sora asked with a shout, "Are you talking about Namine?!" He never got an answer, the lances extending to strike him on the spot where he stood.

Sora luckily was able to make a back flip in time, getting up to see that Xaldin had formed a dragon like neck with his multiple lances. Xaldin grinned, enjoying the fight, "Now, things will get interesting…."

Sora growled, jumping over the rail of the balcony as Xaldin pursued him with his new transformation. He shot out a big gust of wind, but Sora was able to reflect it with a Thundaga spell, landing perfectly to the ground with a short slide.

He became nervous, '_I hope Roxas isn't here. If so, I can't guarantee what will happen.' _He jumped forward, knowing he had to end this battle fast to make sure his rising predictions didn't come true.

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Roxas noticed the progress to his plan, now finding it easier to perform his deed with Sora out of the way. He pushed himself off the wall, following the others who left the room.

He produced a forlorn expression, noticing that the blonde haired girl that made his empty chest throb was with them. He knew right away that things were going to be tricky for him. But he was prepared to get the heart he needed to get; even if it meant going through her.

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Namine ran side with Beast and the others, holding Chip closely to her chest. She asked Beast, "Is there somewhere we can be safe at?" He announced, never slowing down, "The West Wing! We shall go there!" She nodded, following them down a long hall where she spotted some stairs ahead.

Belle spoke, trudging forward to reach the steps, "Up ahead, that's where the West Wing is!"

Before they could press forward an Organization member jumped in front of them, landing in a slouch position before rising himself up. The Beast growled at the intruder, sniffing him out, "It isn't Xaldin! Who are you!?" The hooded figure gave no answer.

Namine stood frozen; the feeling she was receiving from the Organization member was all too familiar. She saw through the yellow orbs that were hidden behind the hood, gripping her chest as the feeling grew and filled her.

'_Could it be?'_ She looked over to Belle and the others, then back to the dark cloak person. She bowed her head, her mind wondering over the possibilities.

She looked back up to the figure, finding him to be remaining still where he was. She gave a determine look, needing to know if the feeling she was receiving was really her Roxas; if so…

She passed Chip to Belle, "Belle, I need you guys to head to the West Wing. I'll hold him off." Roxas was surprised over her decision, his mouth opening slightly to the situation she was creating between them.

Belle shook her head, "No, we can't just leave you on your own!" She looked over to Roxas then back to Namine, "Please, you must come with us!"

The girl shook her head, "I have to do this. I'm sorry if you don't understand, but it would seem like I would have to face my own Beast; if it is him." She whispered her last few words to herself, looking over at Roxas as he bowed his head low and gazing at her with deep wonder.

Belle somehow understood just from her words alone, knowing that she had her own Beast whom she loved.

She nodded, gesturing to Beast, "Alright, we'll do what you say." The Beast led them away to the steps, making sure the dark cloak person didn't attack them. Sure enough, he stood right where he was; his eyes only fixed on one person who he was trying to figure out.

Namine appreciated that he had led them by safety, but she knew somehow that it wasn't going to last long. It actually looked like he was waiting on her to see what she had planned.

She made sure the others were at the clear before taking her attention back to him. She took a step forward, "Is…are you who I think you are?" He kept silent, not knowing how to reply from her question.

She became desperate, not liking the silent treatment, "Please, say something! Is it really you under that hood, Roxas?" He flinched from the name, catching her attention like lighting speed.

He finally spoke, his voice showing great signs of one that was definitely in the darkness, "How do you know me?" That questioned shattered Namine's world completely, her eyes becoming extremely wide with hurtful shock.

She felt like she was falling, not knowing when she was going to find the bottom to this nightmare. Her breath was sucked right out of her, her head shaking left to right in slow motion.

She gripped herself with her hands up to her chest, "Roxas, how can you forget who I am? It's me Namine!" She walked up to him, her fingers tinkling to touch him and make him remember who she was; she refused to believe that he forgot about her! Roxas remembering her for who she was to him was the reason for her existence to be still with his own.

She pressed on, "We were together in that dream…I saw you…you were keeping something from me…." Everything began to click into place, "When we fell…it must have affected your memory…. oh God…." She was taking too much in, collapsing to the ground, "This is what you were too afraid to tell me, isn't it…it was you the whole time…Yen Sid…Sora's parents…. Sally…" She choked up tears, not finding her voice anymore as she began to break.

She harshly lifted her face up at him, tears bursting out her beautiful light blue eyes, as they were puffy red, "How can you do this, Roxas!? When all I need is you!" He was confused over her eruption, not knowing how to react; but somehow; something deep inside of him yearned for this girl's tears to stop falling.

She pleaded, tears falling tragically down her face, "Roxas, what's happened to you? This isn't what I wanted…please…remember me…that's all I need from you…" She didn't know what else to say, begging for some miracle that her words would get through to him somehow.

He kneeled in front of her, their eyes locked as he tried to give her what she wanted. But how, when it seemed like she didn't even exist in his heart?

As he lifted his hand to touch her, a pinch soon came to his head, causing him to hold his head up. He moaned in pain, catching Namine's attention to grip his shoulders. She slowly slid his hood down, catching the yellow eyes of the person she was searching for; somehow though, it felt like she was still searching for him.

He moaned, "Make it stop…. the darkness…" He gripped his head with both hands now, making Namine panic over what was happening.

She placed his head on her chest, trying to help ease his pain as she held onto him. But she seemed to get effected from the darkness that surrounded him, her source of light depleting for him.

She announced frantically, not understanding what was going on, "Why!? Why can't I get through!?" She held her grip on him tighter as he continued to suffer, "Roxas…. please…." She started to shiver, wanting to erase the darkness that was swallowing him. It was so deep; she didn't how she was going to reach him.

His hands gripped her dress, causing her to wince from the sudden harsh pull. He murmured, his mind finally clearing, "I have to finish my mission. I have to get that heart." He looked up at her, placing a soft-gloved hand on her cheek as he wiped some tears off her face, "I don't understand, what is it about you?" Her skin felt hot under his touch, causing her face to heat up from his hypnotizing gaze.

Somehow she was still there, in his heart; crying out to him. She continued to cry softly, placing a hand upon his, "Don't do this…I don't know what I'll do if you take another heart again because of me!" She couldn't believe it was him who had taken those hearts; she didn't want to believe it, she had refused to believe it.

He pushed her away gently, "I have to go. I need to finish my mission in order to remember…. who you are…" He ignored her pleas as she took hold of his hand, "No! I won't let you, Roxas! I won't let you leave me here again!" Her hands slipped through his as they vanished, causing her to fall to the ground.

She choked up sobs, looking at her hands, as they were almost completely gone.

'_No…please…not now…'_ She looked up at Roxas in horror, already finding his figure begin to retreat from her. He was going to leave her again, and it was all her fault to make him become what he was; this slave to the darkness that she continued to devote her being to. She didn't care to what happens to her, she had to bring him to his senses before she truly lost him forever.

She tried to get a grip of her hands, fighting to get up and stopping him from getting to the others. She was so preoccupied with reaching him; she didn't notice the number of heartless that began to appear behind her.

It wasn't until she heard a growl that she turned around. Her eyes widened in shock, causing her to let out a scream for the nearest person to her, "Roxas!" In an instant he was by her side, slashing the heartless in a quick feat.

He turned to her, hastily dashing forward and picking her up as the heartless charged at them. She looked at his face that held no emotions, sighing as she wondered if it was out of memory that he came to save her.

She held onto him, placing a clear hand to his chest as she closed her eyes. She whispered, her body trembling weakly against him, "I love you…" He looked down at her, never replying as he pressed forward with her in his arms, her words meaning little to him. But he gripped her hand that was on his chest; and somehow, they became whole and warm again from his touch.

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Sora huffed and sighed, sweat pouring down his face as he was out of power to cast anymore spells. Xaldin snickered at the keyblade bearer, "Giving it up already? This is no fun at all. Surely Roxas has accomplished his assignment by now?" Sora's face jumped from the news, turning to the man as he floated in the air.

"So, he is here…Damn it all. I've been stalled." He got up, coughing from the fatigue he was inflicted with from the fight.

Xaldin smirked, "What are you going to do? Surely you failed to save one of your friends once again, Keyblade Master?" Sora remained silent, his body still as he bowed his head.

The large Nobody continued to mock him, "What's the matter? Giving up are we? Surely this isn't the best you can do?" Sora's body began to shake, his keyblade jingling from the vibration.

He snarled, looking up at the man with eyes that could murder, "Shut…the hell…UP!" He was tired of it all; he was going to take him down now!

He pounced forward, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he went for Xaldin's lances. Sora sum how found some power within him to cast out one more powerful Thundaga spell, his keyblade making contact with Xaldin's lances as they shielded him. The sparks of the spell went flying, cracks appearing and breaking off solid cement from the pillars, walls, and ground.

Sora's kind blue eyes were ablaze, hatred appearing for the Nobody ahead of him. He soon vanished within Xaldin's sight, making the Nobody gasp over the turn of events.

He soon heard a fleet of wind behind him, the shattering sound of lighting still going on around the room. He slowly turned around, his eyes becoming extremely wide as he found Sora behind him, his keyblade drawn back and ready to deliver a final blow.

He smirked, knowing that the battle was over when he felt the blow hit his chest with tremendous drive.

One by one the lances fell to the ground, vanishing through darkness as they disappeared. Xaldin chuckled, "Seems you won the battle once again…" Black smoke began to rise from his body as he slowly descended to the ground.

Sora landed quickly, rushing towards Xaldin's body before he could completely fade away. He took a firm grip of the man's collar, demanding for answers, "What is Xemnas's after? What is he planning to do with Roxas?" He chuckled, coughing from the lost of his body, "He desires Kingdom Hearts, of course…and whoever said he needed Roxas?" Sora punched his face out of fury, "There's more to it than that! Tell me!"

Xaldin grinned, his body nearly gone, "Instead of asking me such ridiculous questions, Keyblade Master. I would worry more about your friends…. I wonder…if Namine knows the truth now…" He began to laugh, his laughter echoing around the room as his body slipped through Sora's fingers.

He formed tight fists with his hands, getting up quickly and dashing to save his friends; he would have to deal with the keyhole later. He had his keyblade at the ready, prepared to fight Roxas at anytime as he ran down the long halls of the castle to search for them.

'_Dammit, this can't be happening!' _His mind screamed out, finding he had to find them before it was too late.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Alright, you guys got to tell me what you think. I'm a little nervous and displeased in how the Namine and Roxas scene went; but what do you guys think? Also, I know Beast transformed back into a human at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, but let's pretend he didn't. This will be the last update for now until I get back from my vacation trip. So, do leave some reviews in the meantime. By the way, I got some good advice from _**chococrepes**_ herself. From now on, I'm going to leave previews for you guys for upcoming events in the next chapters. How does that sound? By the way, anyone out there miss Axel? Well, big surprise coming up in next chapters!"

_Preview_

"_She was crying…"_

"_I had enough, I don't want to see what he's become!"_

"_My existence is worth nothing without a memory to hold onto…"_

"_Another heart…"_

"_Sora! Come back at once!"_

Roxas: "Don't hate me for what I've become, for we still wish for reviews."


	23. The Reports

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom hearts…."

Kiome-Yasha: "Well, finally back from vacation and it was a blast! I got a tan and was able to relax for the first time this summer break. But as promised, I am updating another chapter up! I was looking back through the chapters of my story earlier on and found out that there is a lot of things I have not mentioned for a while XD. They will be brought up again in this chapter and the next one over; I assure you guys. I hope nobody's confused out there of how the story is going; it's complicated, but all we be revealed in the end. Also, long chapter ahead, so heads up!"

Chapter 23 The Reports

Larxene kicked her door open with a fierce growl, slamming it back when she entered her quarters. Marluxia wouldn't ask the Superior for her to be partners with Roxas, since he held a grudge against her; why, she didn't know; but it caused her to ask him herself. He declined her demand, Xemnas actually having doubts over her motives for asking for such a request.

Marluxia also had the balls to actually lie about the rebellion that went down in Castle Oblivion. He actually told Xemnas that she was one of the culprits who had planned to overthrown him with Axel; not that it wasn't true, but it was still a bastard move in his part. Considering he was the one who had actually started the mutiny in the first place; it just flared her off.

Sparks of lighting flew around her, letting out heavy sighs over her vent up rage. It was all she could do from destroying her room.

She finally calmed down, her sparks settling with little force. She didn't know what to do now if she couldn't watch the kid's new behavior over missions. He was acting weirder than usual; actually forgetting about Namine? She had been spying for a while since her revival, catching notice over Roxas's changes and Xemnas's secret plot. Something wasn't right, even to her levels.

She whispered out, "Axel, what should I do?" She didn't know how, but she heard a voice ring in her head.

'_Larxene, there's a connection to all this. You need to see what's going on in Vexen's lab. There's something going on that Xemnas is hiding over Kingdom Hearts. 'They' need your help!' _The voice was then gone.

She was startled from the mysterious voice, catching it to be a feminine tone. She growled, feeling irritated, "Nobody orders me around when they don't have the guts to even speak to me face to face." Flashes of a fire headed man came to her mind, making her face become sullen; what would he do over the situation?

She sighed, puffing her chest up as she placed her hands on her hips, "Fine, I see how it is. It definitely catches my interest." She smirked, opening her door as she stepped out into the hall.

She was going to have to play it out sneaky in order not to get caught for treachery against the Organization XIII; which she comically thought should gets its name changed since the numbers were way off. But something told her she was going have to dwindle those numbers.

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Riku was flying out of Port Royal, finding his mission complete in unlocking the keyhole to darkness there. He had quite the battle though, finding multiple grazed wounds placed on his arms. He had fought with a Nobody there that was part of the Organization; but fortunately enough, he was able to claim victory over that battle.

He had fought with Luxord, the _Gambler of fate, _vanquishing the Nobody easily as his card tricks were no match to Riku's own power of the darkness_._ He was able to save Jack from getting his heart taken, but with a man like that it was impossible. He was just an escape artist to ever allow _that_ to happen.

Riku was lucky enough to save someone now; but it still didn't erase the regrets he had when Mulan was taken in Land of Dragons.

"Riku!" Donald had quacked at him, pointing to the blinking red light of the radio inside the ship. "We're getting a transmission from Radiant Garden!"

Riku admittedly passed the call through, finding a voice he was shock to hear, "Riku, are you there? It's me, Queen Minnie!"

"Your majesty! You're safe; but how?!" He was amazed in hearing her voice, wondering how she can be alive when she was kidnapped from the Organization. Donald was also left speechless.

"I shall explain later, but you must report back to Radiant Garden. There are some things we need to discuss that I have discovered. I had already contacted Mickey about my safety and to do the same. Please, hurry. And do let Sora know as well if you can, I am not able to reach him." She spoke in a concern tone, not knowing what to do over the predicament.

"Don't worry, I'll see if I can reach him. He's probably still at Beast's castle as we speak." They cut off the transmission, Riku gripping the wheel in deep concentration.

"What should we do?" Donald asked, worried over Sora and Namine's safety.

Riku gritted his teeth, "We'll go to Radiant Garden so I can report to his majesty. We'll try to contact Sora in the meantime. Hopefully, I can get a reply from him before we get back to Radiant Garden." He picked up the receiver, sending a signal to Sora's Gummi Ship.

He didn't get a reply, finding only silence and shattering resonance from the radio. He cursed under his breath, hoping they weren't experiencing any difficulties over their mission. He tried to not let it bother him too much, planning to send them another message before landing in Radiant Garden.

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Roxas finally came to a stop, looking down at the girl he had saved; her expression was that of dismay. His brows furrowed, not knowing how to feel, "Don't look at me that way. I don't even know who you are to me or why I saved you."

She pleaded, grasping the front of his coat, "Yes, you do! Please, you have to remember, Roxas. You know who I am, look deep into your hea-" He hastily cut her off, giving her a stern gaze, "I'm a Nobody, I have no heart. So don't lie to me."

She gasped from the harshness of his tone, looking down at their hands that were still locked. She bit her bottom lip, "If you won't listen to your heart…. then listen to mine." She leaned forward, licking her lips before she placed them on his.

His eyes grew wide from the soft wet touch, not knowing how to react; but somehow, his lips responded to the sensitive wistful contact. He kissed her back, moving his lips along hers like a welcoming after being missed for so long. He gently began to close his eyes, feelings and emotions rising slowly into his chest. It tingled his entire being, holding her tightly to him in his arms in a bridal like fashion.

Namine bravely licked his lips with the tip of her tongue, making him respond covetously to her touch. She felt him at that instant; her Roxas was still there, but was falling into the darkness without her to guide him. She needed to show him the warmth of the light that she had once provided him, to prove that their existence meant something more when they were together.

He felt something warm pressed against his cheek, finding it to be wet. He realized it was her tears, slowly coming down as she passionately kissed him. It was then that pain struck his chest again, raw emotions of emptiness taking over him.

Namine felt the presence, somehow feeling his pain of the darkness overcome her weak body. Their lips separated, Roxas gazing down at her like she didn't exist at all. That look caused her to break, tears still falling quietly across her plumped cheeks. How can he forget her when she was the entire reason he existed!?

He spoke, his voice voided with any emotion, "I have to go. The only reason why I'm here is for that heart."

She shook her head, "No, it's not! It's because of me! Roxas, what's happening? What has Xemnas done to you?" He answered, "My Superior has done nothing, I am simply a Nobody. My existence is worth nothing without a memory to hold onto…"

He slowly placed her down, letting go of her hand that he had forgotten he was holding onto. He sat her up against the wall, looking down at her once more; he still felt a connection to her, despite with what he said. That was what troubled him the most.

If his existence was worth nothing, then why did it feel like it meant something when he was with her? It didn't make sense to him, and that's why he needed to continue on with his tasks. He needed to prove that he had a purpose to this girl who he considered a stranger.

He spoke, "Goodbye." He then started walking away, "I must do what I exist to do. Complete Kingdom Hearts."

She shouted; letting out a cry as memories came back to her over the night he left during the festival, "Roxas! Please you have to stay with me! I…I…. I don't want you to disappear!" She refused to let him go, fear of being alone coming to her. Loneliness was far more a greater fear to Namine than something that was lurking in the darkness.

She lifted herself up, running to him despite her condition. She halted and gasped though, finding the end of Oblivion pointed at her.

He spoke, actually sounding mournful, "Please, don't come after me. When I'm near you, I can't seem to stop myself from…" His face turned slightly, his gold eyes striking her core, "…from holding you from disappearing from me." He took the Oblivion away, spotting her tears as she collapsed to the ground in disbelief.

He began to walk away, refusing to look back into her eyes; Namine didn't even make a move to go forward after him. He placed his hood back up, his lips still tasting like her as he touched them. He kept his pace though, folding his hand in a tight fist when he took it away from his lips. The effect she had on him was strange to define, but as a Nobody, he felt it wasn't important enough for him to remember. Once more, the darkness became his haven, and the light that belonged to his precious someone was blinking to disappear.

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Namine's voice struggled to speak, making her feel like she was choking. She began to hyperventilate, coughing harshly as she bent down to the ground. She had saliva dripping down between her lips as she kept coughing from her distress. She never felt so much pain in her life, her insides constricting as she hugged herself.

She whispered, wanting to cry more but was left dry, "Roxas…Roxas…Roxas…" She kept calling his name in silence, her body feeling emptier than before.

She screamed out, "Roxas!" Her hiccupping sobs being her only reply from the empty halls.

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Roxas continued his slow pursuit to the west wing where his target was hiding, walking up the steps as his mind kept drifting back with his encounter with the girl named Namine.

Each time he thought he remembered something about the girl; it disappeared. He was struggling to keep himself from falling over as he tried to fight a part of himself. He didn't know why such a thing was happening to him. The feeling only became stronger each time he felt like he was close to the answers. Collecting hearts for Kingdom Hearts was his only solution in figuring things out. The darkness that captured each heart he devoured becoming one with the sacred relic, as it will serve its purpose in being a replica of the original Kingdom Hearts; one that held the hearts of the population from each different world.

It was Xemnas's intention in finding hearts for creating their own Kingdom Hearts, one from darkness.

He gulped some saliva down his throat as he felt something choke up his throat. He remembered her face when he left her behind, "She was crying…" And he wished he knew why such an emotion existed within him to feel sad for causing her to be so upset.

All of a sudden he became alert, sensing hearts that were near by.

He smirked under his hood, speaking in a deadly whisper, "I found you…" He already drew his keyblades, both appearing with electrifying burst of dark energy as he went forward.

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Larxene was being cautious as she walked down the hall that led to Xemnas's close quarters to the lab. Vexen had returned to his room to investigate his findings more privately. She had accomplished in avoiding him, hiding behind a corner so he wouldn't catch notice of her.

She was glad she wasn't spotted by anyone, walking slowly but stylishly to the end of the hall where the doors to the lab was. She scouted her surroundings before placing her hands on the double handles, the door making a light creep as she opened it. No one was allowed in there, besides Vexen, Saix, and the Superior himself that was.

She quietly closed the door behind her, looking around the room to make sure nobody else was in there besides her. She began to walk forward, expecting the different tubes and jars that contained hearts inside them.

There wasn't much she expected to see. She already figured it was dower and depressing in the first place, considering it was Vexen she was talking about here.

She pushed some papers around, picking one up after another skeptically off a table, "Uh, these aren't really interesting at all." She slammed them back on the desk, "What the hell am I doing here anyway? That stupid voice held no answers whatsoever." Just as she was about to walk out of the room, Larxene took notice to what seemed like a journal placed on a small desk.

She smirked, "Now, that looks rather interesting." She approached the lone journal, finding that it had a lock around it that held the symbol of the Nobodies embedded on it.

She picked it up, acting like she was helpless, "Oh, whatever shall I do? I can't seem to open it." She grinned wickedly; taking out one of her yellow and green knifes to unlock the lock.

She successfully got it open, opening the journal up right away, finding pages to fall out from inside. She skimmed through the entries that were most recent. She began to read one that looked to be written a month ago.

_Xemnas Report I_

_Date: XX-XX-XX_

Larxene sighed with much bothersome distress of the many Xs, already knowing the dates from the corner of the note.

_I have come to survive the battle, relocating my incomplete Kingdom Hearts and I to a new location to recuperate my plans._

_The keyblade master has no idea of my true intentions. Things have begun to move now that Roxas and Namine have been reunited._

_The day of years ago shall come to pass; for it is destiny of a new awakening._

_All I need now is to regroup my precious Organization and retrieve Roxas back into the group. With him, I can finally complete my goal in creating my own Kingdom Hearts._

The report ended there, making Larxene pick up another one that was after it.

_Xemnas Report II_

_Date: XX-XX-XX_

_Namine is starting to fade, which means the plan is in motion. The time has finally come._

_Roxas has joined us once more; his suppose 'love' for Namine making him worthy in helping us collect hearts once more to the way I had planned._

_Originally, Sora was to be the one in helping me achieve my goals, but that came to be a failure when my members were defeated at Castle Oblivion. I also didn't expect Namine to develop feelings so abnormally fast during that time._

_Sora was my original target, but considering it was Roxas who has fallen for the young witch instead; things proved even better. For he resides in darkness._

The second report ended, making Larxene anxious to know the next one. She flipped to the third one right away, not understanding any of it.

_Xemnas's Report III_

_Date: XX-XX-XX_

_I remembered the failed clone I had Vexen create in the past. She had so many promises to my plans, but she too turned out to be a total failure; diluted from her own mind and ideals of becoming a real being. _

_I had high hopes for the clone to be the replacement for Sora since he had failed to gain interest in Namine._

_With the clone, I was hoping to have Sora's memories linked from Namine to achieve my plans for Kingdom Hearts._

_But that all failed when she took in the form of the princess, along with other monstrous forms. It also didn't help to know that Namine was lost within my grasp and was being used by Diz or should I say Master Ansem._

_Such a waste, my plans would have been over much sooner if it were not for him. _

Larxene growled, "Aagh! Stop talking about the past and tell me what you're planning now!" She looked through the pages, taking her awhile to find the fourth entry.

_Xemnas Report IV_

_Date: XX-XX-XX_

_I can't say the progress over Namine's condition, but I must say Roxas's is going rather well._

_It seems like he is sinking deeper into the darkness as I have hoped for. He is forgetting the little witch as we speak. This comes perfectly to my new secret plan in finishing my Kingdom hearts._

_He had rejoined to save his precious Namine, only to forget about her after taking each heart into the darkness. Kingdom Hearts is nearly 3/4 complete; and once it is fully completed, it will be filled with many things that make up the darkness. Once the fusion is done, I shall have a Kingdom Hearts that knows nothing but darkness. It's power being able to control the hearts of those who exist throughout the worlds._

_Thanks to the darkness that goes through Roxas after each heart he takes, my plans will come to be real. He doesn't even know that such an effect is affecting Namine as well to what I have plan for her, for she is my true goal for everything to fall into place. The darkness that Roxas carries doesn't belong to him alone; in actuality, it's Namine's._

_Everything is coming together._

_Just wait my old 'friends'. Your Unbirths shall be created and we shall finish what we started._

_Indeed the one he has come to save will be able to exist, but as a whole new being. She is the key to all this._

Larxene spoke aloud, "Wait, 'my old _'friends'_? What is he planning? And what does he mean by Namine being the key? And how does Roxas losing his memories of Namine connect to his plans as well?" So many questions, she couldn't decipher them all.

Suddenly, when she thought she had something, she heard someone open the door.

She quickly turned around, closing and locking the journal in her hands. She had planned to read the next report, but it would seem she had lost her chance.

She bit her lip as she discovered it was one of Xemnas's new Organization members, Linux. She didn't like the bitch; she reminded her too much of herself, but in a more sick and twisted way. She was definitely worse in comparison when it came to her style.

"What are you doing here?" She had asked with a snarling look, hands placed on her hips. She looked ready for a fight as her hand slipped onto the handle of her whip that was attached to her side.

"I was just going to say the same thing to you, but I think a wannbe like you should say it first." Larxene grinned, placing the journal down as she crossed her arms to take out her multiple knifes. She already had sparks of lighting dancing around her, itching to strike.

"The Superior said no one is allowed in here." Linux took out her whip from her hip, circling Larxene within the room. She noticed the journal that she had placed down, "What is it that you were looking at?"

She replied, but never really answering her question, "Guess we got to see who kills first to tattle-tale on." Larxene shot thunder out of her hand, scattering them and shattering many tubes of glass and hearts in the room.

Linux flipped over into the air, unfolding her whip as it expanded. She pulled it forward to strike Larxene, only to hit a cloned image of the _Savage Nymph._

"What?" She gasped from discovering it was a fake, looking around for the real one.

"They don't call me the _Savage Nymph_ for nothing. Vanish!" She threw knifes at the woman, the tips holding shocks of her power. They penetrated through her, making multiple cuts appear and shed through Linux's cloak.

She snarled, bringing her whip forward with it's own force, striking Larxene down to the ground. This only caused a distraction as a silhouette of her cast lightning behind Linux, making her shout in pain and fall over.

Larxene grimaced over the assault that was inflicted on her, but it wasn't powerful enough to bring her down.

She approached the groaning woman, "Had enough? Just give it up and disappear wherever dark whole you came from." She glared down at her, bringing her nose up in disgust.

"I will not allow you to get away. You're planning to betray us and I know it!" Linux spoke, picking herself up with a faint grin on her face. Her hair was in disarray, and it was sticking up in multiple places from Larxene's magnetic element.

"Dumb and loyal. This is why I never liked you the most out of the new recruits. You disgust me of how much of a whore you are to Xemnas." Linux screamed from Larxene's insult, her whip soon penetrating blades at the edges and hauling them over at her.

Larxene didn't expect the transformation of her weapon, managing to dodge a lethal blow from the attack. She did get hit on the leg though, making blood appear as she had a wound from the blades sharp edges.

Linux laughed manically, her strikes being quicker and more lethal, "I shall win this fight!" She was so delusional that she didn't even catch notice of Larxene's electricity spell from overhead. The lightning pierced down on her, causing her to scream; but that didn't stop her.

Larxene was looking at her as if she was insane, calling forth more kunais between her fingers with a short growl of irritation.

She quickly shot them at Linux, one of them actually piercing through her hand and becoming stuck. Linux gasped from the hit, her body shaking as her hand grabbed the wounded one, causing her to drop her whip.

She cursed at Larxene's approaching form, "You bitch! Look at what you've done to my hand! My beautiful hand!" She cuffed, "Oh please, you're as low as a Nobody; nothing beautiful about you. Now, to finish you off."

Linux glared up at her, using her other hand to grab her whip like a snake and strike it forward to Larxene. She grasped her side as she got sliced, falling to the ground as sweat started to appear from both girls.

Linux snickered, struggling to get up from her already weaken state. She grabbed the small knife that was embedded in her skin, roughly taking it out as blood scattered her hands and floor.

Larxene kept silent, bringing herself off the ground and preparing another round with the woman known as the _Wicked Fallen Vixen._ She chuckled and grinned from the name as she brought her head down, '_Wicked Fallen Vixen, huh?'_

"You know what pisses me off the most about you newbies?" She spoke lowly, catching the woman to freeze where she was from her deadly tone.

"You guys have no originality to your names whatsoever!" Larxene shouted, summoning up two silhouettes of her image. They helped call up a large thunderous force of energy upon the woman. After that, Larxene struck Linux with constant strikes of her kunais, damaging her critically to her demise.

She collapsed to the ground, her body starting to fade as black smoke started to vaporize her body. She coughed up blood from her mouth, spreading it to the floor with the red pool underneath her.

Larxene's copies vanished, "I'm the only one who can truly carry the Vixen name. Me; the _Callous Vixen."_ The woman looked up at her in shock, gripping Larxene's ankle that was near her, "You shall fall into the same darkness, Nobody."

Larxene kicked her off her feet as her body crumbled into the empty abyss, "Counting on not seeing you there, wench." And like that, Linux was gone; her pool of blood being the only remaining thing left of her existence.

The battle was shortly over, causing Larxene to sigh in relief that she was the one who claimed victory. She quickly slipped some papers of the reports inside her cloak, needing to investigate deeper into their meaning. She then left the journal where it was, hoping to create an alibi while not looking suspicious.

This worked perfectly for her, finding an excuse to get close with the Superior again. Once she tells him her lies that it was Linux who she spotted inside the lab, she will surely gain his trust.

"What has happened here in my precious lab?" And what perfect timing; Vexen the panic dork had just arrived to set her deception into place.

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Sora quickly dashed up the stairs, holding his keyblade behind him to make his run more agile. He figured that everyone had all gone to the West Wing; he just hoped he wasn't too late in stopping Roxas from taking another heart.

He was nearly there, running down a long narrow hall that held stairs that led up to the forbidden wing. He came to an abrupt stop though when he spotted a familiar figure up ahead. She looked small and fragile, but he knew it was her under that shaking fatal position.

"Namine!" He shouted, running to her and quickly sliding to her side on the floor. He asked, trying to touch her but only causing her to flinch away, "Hey, what's the matter?" He feared the answer, finding her disability to stop sobbing worrying him.

After awhile in deep silence of nerve-racking sobs, Namine spoke in a dead tone, "You knew, didn't you?" He looked shocked from the tone of her voice, his fears coming true of what he tried to prevent; his promise to Roxas had been broken.

Sora was startled to see her face when she looked up at him. Her once beautiful features were covered with red circles around her eyes, making her look disgruntled and dead as her face swelled.

She grabbed hold of Sora, angrily shouting at him, "You knew didn't you!? You all knew it was Roxas from the start! You lied to me Sora! You lied Sora! You lied... And now…" She broke out another burst of sobs, "…. And now, Roxas has forgotten about me…he's too far gone into the darkness that I can't reach him…it makes me…" Her body shook, her body becoming feeble as she took on a ghostly like appearance.

Sora felt ashamed, looking down to the ground and forming his hands into fists as he tried not to make himself cry over his friend's turmoil. He looked at her fading appearance, soon becoming panicked, "Namine! Your body!"

She didn't even care to listen to him; she just wanted to disappear. And as her wish, she found the floor through her hands.

Sora gripped her body to him, hoping in someway to make her whole. It was hard without Kairi to provide a body for her from disappearing.

"Namine, please; you can yell at me all you want, hit me all you want. But you have to hang in there for me. Please, tell me where Roxas is so I can stop him from taking another heart." He had whispered to her, hoping he could snap her out of it.

She pushed him away, looking away so she couldn't see his face. Sora pleaded, bringing his hands out, "Namine, we have to-"

She yelled at him, cutting him off, "I had enough, I don't want to see what he's become!" She placed herself back into a grave position, holding her legs up to her chest as she shook her head in misery.

Sora looked at her with great sympathy and mortification. He looked away from her, "Fine, you don't have to come with me. But please…you have to tell me where he went." He firmly demanded, needing to get answers from her.

"The West Wing…he's going after the others…I'm sorry…." She spoke with extreme guilt, knowing what must be done. But how can she think when the person she had been searching for didn't even know her existence. It just made her feel hollow inside like the Nobody she was.

'_Roxas…'_

She cringed from the name, her memories of him being the only thing that was keeping her from disappearing. And from that, her body recollected itself into a solid form.

"So, I was right…." He got up from the floor, looking down at her, "Stay here, I'll come back to get you when I'm done."

"And Roxas?" She had asked quickly, lifting her head a little from her knees; her voice sounded dead of hope, but she still asked.

Sora refused to answer her question; not knowing how to reply, since he didn't even know himself.

He spoke as he ran off to the direction of the West Wing, "I'll come back." He reminded her, never answering her question as she just sat there like a soulless being.

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Beast ordered the others and Belle to stay away from the door as they closed it, all of them hiding behind the dying rose bud that was under the alluring jar.

Belle tried to approach Beast, finding him becoming rapid. She feared for his safety, knowing he would do anything to protect her. She huddled with the others as they shook with fear of their lives.

Beast took a sniff of the air, "He's coming. I can smell him." He took a stance, ready to battle the Organization member as he bared his fangs and claws; ready to rip him apart if he even dared to get close to Belle.

Soon, the door burst open, causing Beast to break it apart as it charged at him. He let out a roar when he saw the figure standing by the door, two keyblades drawn in his hands.

Belle recognized the weapon, "It can't be, that's..." She didn't who the person was, but if he could wield two keyblades at once like Sora, they were in trouble.

"Get out!" Beast howled at Roxas, charging at him with his large body. Roxas quickly dodged the flailing Beast's claws, jumping over passed him to get to his target.

"It's not you I'm after. So, let me just do what I came here to do." He took his sight on Belle, her heart proving a success to their collection, as she was one of the princesses of hearts.

Beast though, wouldn't allow Roxas to get near Belle, tackling him from behind. The boy was caught off guard, getting knocked down into dusty furniture around the room. Beast grabbed his body, lifting him up and throwing him across the room with great strength.

Roxas groaned in pain, rubbing his head as he tried to get up from the wreckage. The Beast was definitely faster than he had thought, his animal instincts taking over his senses in protecting the woman he loved. Protecting the woman he loved….

Roxas gripped his head, his surroundings becoming a blur. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the sensation as he turned to the Beast with his own fierce battle cry. He jumped up, shooting beams of light and darkness at the large behemoth. Beast covered himself from the attack, using his large furry arms for protection.

When everything was cleared, he gasped to see Roxas in front of him, kicking him in the face. He then took an upper cut with his keyblades, performing a hit on the Beast's head after he had hit him from below.

Belle cried out, "Beast!" Getting up from the floor to reach him.

Beast fell to the floor as Roxas pushed him up against the wall, his keyblades crossed over his neck, "Stay down, animal. I'm about to take your precious woman's heart away from you." Belle cried out, Roxas preparing to give the deadly blow, preparing to behead the Beast.

"ROXAS!!!" The unlucky number turned to his side, becoming shocked in seeing Sora charging at him with full rage.

The Keyblade Master hit him on his side, taking him off of Beast. They both hit the floor, Sora grabbing his collar and punching him in the face, "What's this I hear of you forgetting about Namine!? You idiot! Don't you know what you're doing?" He punched him again, causing a gash to appear on his face, "I won't allow you to take another heart!"

He missed the next punch, Roxas hitting him in the torso with his own fists and then another into his face, knocking him off him. He quickly sat up, swinging his keyblade the Oathkeeper at Sora's head, but he managed to block the weapon with his own.

Belle had rushed to Beast's side while all of this was happening, helping him up, "Beast, you must get up. We have to escape while we still can." He nodded, all of them heading out the door.

Roxas spotted this, growling from the distraction he was getting from Sora. He hastily began to slice his keyblades at him, Sora struggling to block each blow with one keyblade alone.

"Judging from your sudden appearance here to fuck everything up for me. I say that you defeated Xaldin." He stated, clamping his keyblades together as he forced Sora down.

He smirked, building up strength into his keyblade, "Got that right. And I'm going to finish you like I did with him!" He knocked Roxas backwards, pulling his keyblade up and performing multiple jumps to hit the point upon his former Nobody's head.

Roxas was knocked back, knowing he was wasting time in fiddling with Sora. He stood where he was, huffing and heaving as he planned to get through the boy.

"Don't do it, Roxas. You have to try and remember who Namine is…the both of you exist because of each other…so please…stop making her suffer…" Sora begged, trying his best to get through to him.

"Namine…that girl?" He spoke more to himself than to Sora, his hood hiding his features as he became silent.

He lifted his face up, his eyes reflecting Sora's with a hollow like color, "I'm sorry." It was all he said before he vanished, appearing behind Sora and taking off after Beast and the others. They had escaped through some stairs that had led to the outside roofs of the castle.

"Roxas, stop!" Sora called out to him, running up after him, "Dammit…"

He ran up the cement-covered platform, feeling drops of water come down from above. It was beginning to rain, and he didn't like the signs of it; it looked dark and ominous, which showed no good signs to anything.

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Namine had managed to get outside the castle, leaving through the entrance. She limply walked over to the front courtyard, heading towards the gates that led to the forest. The Gummi Ship was there and she was planning to put it to good use if she could.

She opened the dark tall gates, passing through the small opening she created. She found the ship exactly where they left it, pushing herself to climb onboard. She managed to open the hatchet, getting inside the compartment and sitting down on the pilot seat.

She hacked some air out of her when she sat down, slowly closing her eyes as they began to get hazy. She saw a blinking red light come from the panels, signifying there was a message.

Namine kept her gaze on the blinking light, "Once he gets another heart, what will become of him? Roxas…"A warm tear fell down her swollen cheek, causing her to shutter, "Another heart…" She closed her eyes, opening them slowly afterwards to the red flickering light.

"Take me where he is, once he gets that heart, I'll begin to disappear again." She lifted herself off the pilot seat, begging the ship to move as she did not know how to control it, "Take me to Roxas…please…" She weakly brought a shaky hand up, pointing a finger forward to press the message through.

Once she grazed the button with little force, the communication came through, "Sora! Come back here at once! We need you to return to Radiant Garden! There are things we must discuss!" Namine failed to hear the rest, her tears drowning her to close her eyes with great fatigue and strain from her body.

She had hoped to find Roxas on the otherside as she faded away into her dreams.

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Sora scouted the area, passing by statues of monstrous looking gargoyles. He had his keyblade at the ready, planning to strike first from any sight of Roxas. He couldn't find anything and began to dash ahead; he needed to catch up to the others before Roxas did.

The rain was beginning to pour, feeling like a thousand needles were piercing through his skin. He kept going, not letting it stop him from saving his friends.

He stopped all of a sudden when he spotted a figure up ahead, the familiar black coat catching his light blue eyes. He shouted over to the person, knowing who it was, "Roxas!"

The figure turned to him with his hood up, "It stopped…" Sora looked confused over what he said, placing his keyblade back to his side for battle.

Roxas slowly turned to him, "The pain, it stopped; but why does it seem like it's still there…?" He grabbed his chest, trying to find the pain he knew was hidden.

"If you're not going to make any sense, then; I'm going to stop you from hurting my friends!" Sora charged, his keyblade drawn back to pierce his other half down into submission.

But before he could make a hit, Roxas jumped backwards, taking off once again. Sora grumbled under his breath, taking off after him again, "Dammit!"

As for Beast, Belle, and the others, they were kept hidden in the shadows behind a pillar. Roxas was closing in on them, sensing their shivering hearts as they pumped within them. He looked around the area, stepping over the puddles that had formed on the roof from the growing storm.

Lumière spoke, his flames gone and washed away from the rain, "We must come up with an idea! If not…" Cogsworth argued like usual when it came to Lumière's way of thinking, "And what do you suppose we do, Lumière? We are at a dead end!"

Mrs. Pot hushed them quietly, "Hush, he will hear us!" Belle agreed, holding tightly onto Chip who was placed in her hands. Beast growled silently and held her protectively against his large chest.

Roxas's senses found their hiding place, lifting a hand and blasting a dark beam of light to destroy the pillar they were hiding behind of. They were near the end of the roof's road, so it was hard to be anywhere else.

The pillar crumbled, a blast of thunder echoing throughout the sky as it fell. Beast jumped over to the side, rolling over with Belle deeply hidden in his chest with his large arms around her.

The others were blasted across the other side of the roof, chunks of the broken pillar scattering around them, enabling them to get through to help their Master and Belle.

Roxas slowly began to approach the two as they struggled to get up from the collision, drops of rain glistening down his long coat, "Now, let's end this stupid game. I'm getting that heart." He pointed his keyblade the Oblivion at Belle, his heartless colored eyes piercing through her to freeze. His eyes were dangerously deadly, the darkness under his hood making him even more terrifying.

Beast automatically went in front of Belle, shielding her from any possible attack from Roxas.

He roared, "I won't let you have Belle's heart!" He spread his arms, his fur wet from the harsh rain, lightning illuminating his black talons of the night.

The light had the same effect in illuminating Roxas's keyblades as he drew them to his side, ready to bring down the Beast from getting in his way, "Alright then, I shall slay the Beast of the castle first." He drew his body back, preparing himself to assail; letting his keyblades drag sparks to the floor as he sprinted forward.

The rain continued to fall, bringing flash of lightning to appear in the dark cloudy skies as the Beast and Roxas went at it. Belle stood behind the battle, her worries for Beast consuming her to whimper out, "Beast…"

He managed to dodge the first assault from one of the keyblades, but wasn't so lucky with the second. He received a deadly gash on his side, knocking him down to grab hold of the wound as blood seeped through.

Roxas began making multiple slashes, slicing the Beast's skin and fur right off as blood scattered and mixed in the puddles of clean rain. Belle rushed forward, embracing Beast and shielding him from Roxas's raised keyblades.

He chuckled menacingly, "Now that I have vanquished your precious, Beast. I'll be taking your heart now, princess." Belle winced as he brought the Oathkeeper down upon them, but gasped as nothing came but a scream of pure rage.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Sora tackled Roxas down to the ground, surprising the boy and knocking him down into the harsh wet ground.

Sora began to punch his face, turning to Belle and Beast, "Get the others and run! Ugh!" He had the wind knocked out of him as Roxas punched his face from his desperate warning to his friends.

Soon, heartless and Nobodies began to appear on the roof, surrounding Sora as they blocked him. Roxas jumped over the creatures he had summoned, finding everything to be taking longer than usual since Xaldin was defeated.

"Move!" Sora began to slash away, trying to get through as he was prevented in reaching Roxas. He found everything to be difficult without Donald and Goofy; he couldn't transform into any of his forms or cast any summoning spells without them!

He relied on his magic to help finish the job of the heartless, casting Thundaga as a stronger result in frying them. The elements that was around them helped him defeat them, but he still had the Nobodies to worry about since they were a lot quicker and stronger.

He noticed right away that the Nobodies and Heartless were far different from any others he had fought with. They looked more terrifying and looked too human and monstrous to even tell the difference of what they were anymore.

He didn't care; all he had in his mind was trying to find a way to get through! He began to wheeze in exhaustion, finding his arms go numb from the never-ending swarm of monsters.

Roxas was once again in front of Belle, glaring down at her, "No more interruptions, I need to do this!"

All of a sudden Belle shouted in anguish, feeling the Beast's weight begin to become heavy under her arms, "Please, stop this!" The sound of crackling thunder silenced her cry, her tears of distress mixing in with the rain.

Sora jumped forward, finally breaking through the force of heartless and Nobodies. The whole area became illuminated from multiple flashes, Roxas bringing his keyblade forward to strike down on Belle. He felt a solid hit from his keyblade; but the heart he had punctured was not the princess's.

He looked up and gasped silently, becoming shocked in seeing the Beast being at the end of his Oathkeeper and not Belle. The blade was sunken deep into his chest, Belle's heart protected and untouched as he shielded her from Roxas's keyblade.

Sora remained frozen where he was, the sight of Beast's sacrifice for the one he loved consuming him to be in shock. Roxas as well was stunned from the turn of events, thoughts of doing the same for a certain someone important to him flashing through his mind.

He slowly unhooked his keyblade from Beast's chest, his heart coming to his open palm as darkness clouded over it. Beast limped backwards, his eyes drawing to the back of his head as he fell into Belle's open arms. She had tears falling down her face, her eyes becoming red from her distraught in what just happened.

"Beast, please no! I can't lose you…not like this…" She tried to keep hold of him as his body began to feel light, his body already beginning to fade into oblivion.

He weakly looked over to the woman he loved, lifting a large hand to wipe the tears only he could see through the raindrops on her face, "Bel…Belle…I'm gl…gla…glad…to know… yo…you're…sa…safe." His eyelids became heavy, the lost of his heart making his body begin to dissipate and his mind blank.

Belle grasped onto the brooch of his ruined cape, "Beast, don't leave me…. I…lov…" She never got to say her words as his body burst out of her hands, causing her to collapse upon a wet puddle of water and blood.

The servants that were blocked behind the crumble became saddened over the lost of their Master's heart, "Master…" They all placed their heads down, all of them forming tears under their eyes over their loss.

A single rose petal fell that night, causing the once pure rose to shrivel and turn black. Without a Beast's heart to exist, the rose lost all meaning and the curse became unfulfilled without any love to be returned.

Roxas awkwardly stepped back as Belle let out sobs of anguish into the puddle underneath her, her bloodstained arms folded to conceal her crying face. He didn't know how to react to her tears, remembering the tears of only one girl. He was silent, looking down at the heart that belonged to the Beast just a few moments ago. It was now black, tainted with the darkness, showing it was proven worthy to be part of Kingdom Hearts.

But how can someone love a Beast; more less a Nobody like him? Why would such women cry for such beings? He didn't understand; he lost the meaning to it from the darkness.

He looked up at the sky, feeling the rain cascade over him. He tried to search for a memorable touch, but found the rain too cold to relinquish the warmth that matched with what he was missing in himself. The warmth was lost, but he didn't remember when. He needed to stay in the darkness and collect hearts to find out. That's all he needed to know, for he served Kingdom Hearts to give him his answers and his heart.

Sora was too stunned to react, even to the point where he didn't even see Roxas begin to form a portal for himself; Beast's heart still clasped tightly into his unseen hand. He fell to the floor, his knees bruising as they collided onto the bolster like surface, creating a short splash from the puddle he fell on.

Roxas looked over the people that he had hurt, finding no remorse but pity for them as he walked through the darkness with no regrets. He disappeared without a trace, finding his assignment to be accomplished without the princess's heart. Roxas traveled through the darkness, the echoes of a certain girl's whimpers haunting him as he left the scene.

The heavy shower continued to downpour, failing to wash away the aftermath of what just happened. The servants had no Master to run the castle, their curse turning permanent as Belle's confession was cut short into the darkness that stripped away the monster she had come to love.

Our Keyblade Hero was left alone, finally snapping out of his frozen shell as he punched a small puddle over and over again. He soon began to whimper out of aggravation, his fist becoming bruised as he continued to punch the ground puddle.

He knew he had to unlock the keyholes of darkness from each world to reach the Organization's base; but it still made him feel crushed inside to know it wouldn't bring back the people he had lost to them.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Wow, intense and sad chapter. I made Beast die, I can't believe it; I almost cried from typing that scene down. I wanted the scene to be more depressing, but I think I got the message down. Plus, I can't make it too extreme, for the real tragedy is yet to come! I know, what else can happen right? Hehehe, but little do you guys know what I have in store to let tears come out of your eyes. Anyway, vacation was good, but it's time to get back to business in updating this story like crazy! What do you guys think of the reports and everything, pretty nifty huh? Trust me, I'm trying to connect this to the KH universe as believable as possible; but to a Namixas twist of course ;D! Also, I know Beast and Belle's characters were rushed in the last chapter, but I hope this chapter made up for that. It's hard to write a story with so many characters to develop! Last chapter was rushed since I was leaving on vacation, so I couldn't get most things down as I had wanted to; which is why this chapter was so long. Well, until next quick hopeful update!"

_Preview of Next Time_

"_Who are you? Roxas? No…"_

"_Sora was the one …"_

"_Open the Door to Twilight…"_

"_When everything is completed, Namine will…"_

"_I've decided to stay behind…."_

Roxas: "After reading, please review down your thoughts over the chapter! I lost memories of my precious Namine! Kiome-Yasha is so mean DX. She's the true villain to this story!"


	24. Someone in the Dark

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts."

Kiome-Yasha: "Here to update once again! I'm sorry if the last chapter seemed rush to any of you guys; although I don't know what parts you guys are talking about; maybe Riku's? I don't know. Anyway, this chapter has a special guest to the series, so be happy when you read it! :D."

Chapter 24 Someone in the Dark

Sora placed his head down in front of Belle, the princess's eyes becoming a nasty red color from all her crying. She kept silent the whole time, only nodding to what Sora had explained to her. The rain had finally settled down, but did nothing to wash away their sorrow.

He had unlocked the keyhole to darkness as he was assigned, but at a terrible cost. He had lost another friend to the Organization XIII; and it was making him lose faith in winning this battle.

Jack lost Sally, and now Belle lost Beast; there's also the fact that King Mickey lost his Master, and Sora lost his parents. He couldn't believe how fast the darkness was spreading, and it was all going into one source, Kingdom Hearts; or at least the one Xemnas was creating. Roxas was only causing things to be worse for the worlds; and now that he lost his memories of Namine, what does he hope to accomplish now? He had lost his sight even to his own heart for blindly following the Organization's plot!

Sora knew as the Keyblade Master that he had to stop this from going on; but for some reason, he didn't feel like much of a hero. He was still willing to try though, for the sake of his friends.

He soon bid his last farewell to Belle and the others, their posture being one of hopelessness, "Please, stay somewhere that is safe. Unlocking the keyhole to darkness only means more heartless to appear. And without the Beast here…" He became silent, knowing the name was touchy to say when he saw Belle flinched.

She only nodded, hugging herself, "…Let's just say you don't have much protection to fight them off." He finished, clenching his hands.

He spoke in a quiet tone, " I guess this is goodbye; stay safe. I swear I'll try to end this battle soon enough!" Sora announced with great determination before running off to the side, his head still bent down to hide his upcoming tears.

He rushed through the gates, closing it harshly that it caused the chains around it to shutter loudly. The sound though made Sora snap out of his sullen state, remembering that he forgotten about Namine. He quickly turned around, wondering if he should go back or just wait for her in the cockpit.

He took a few steps towards the gate, his mind pondering over his choices. He gritted his teeth together, deciding to just wait for her in the Gummi Ship; he really didn't have the heart to face Belle and the others again when they held such dead looks. It made him feel weak that he couldn't do anything to stop Roxas in taking Beast's heart.

When he opened the lid to the ship though, he gasped to see Namine already sitting inside. She was still sleeping soundly, tears somehow still falling down her cheeks; they never stopped.

Sora sighed loudly, giving Namine a look of sympathy before picking her up from the pilot seat. He carried her over gently to the passenger seat, brushing some hair out of her face when he placed her down.

"Damn you, Roxas. It's not like I can do anything about it. I have to keep my promise." He spoke silently, getting himself comfortable into the pilot seat.

He soon noticed the blinking red light from the message radio, pressing it forward for transmission.

"About damn time you picked up! I left a message before, and I didn't get any reply!" It was Riku.

Sora looked back at Namine, figuring that she was the one who pressed the message forward before she fell asleep. He looked back at the panel, "Sorry, Riku. Things haven't been very good at my end. We encountered Roxas again, so…." He became silent, his body shivering for a moment.

Riku understood though, "I see…well then, I need you to come back to Radiant Garden. We have things that need to be discussed. The Queen is here."

That caught Sora's attention right away, "The Queen!? I thought-"

"I know, but she somehow used a little bit of her powers to escape from The World That Never Was." Riku halted Sora's outburst, but soon came to a question, "Sora, what happened?" He knew he should wait until they came back to Radiant Garden, but a part of him needed to know.

Sora took a shaking sigh, "I was able to defeat one of Organization members, but I couldn't stop things from happening." Riku kept silent, letting Sora go on, "Namine knows its Roxas, and she's pissed at all of us for hiding the truth from her."

"He…he took Beast's heart, but I knew his true intention was to get Belle's." He finished, not knowing how to continue on, "I unlocked the keyhole though, so we're done here."

"…….." Riku couldn't really say anything to what he heard.

"We'll talk later about this when you get back." He finished saying his peace, cutting off the transmission.

Sora hit the back of this chair with his head, taking a slight glance over to Namine's unconscious form, "I wonder what you're dreaming about now." He ignored her silent reply, taking the wheel and preparing to launch out back to Radiant Garden.

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Namine slowly opened her eyes, blinking back as to adjust her blurry vision. She tried to pick herself up, but gasped when she noticed chains around her body. She struggled to escape through them, her body shaking as she felt the frost on the chains touch her body to become frost blue.

She had tears slowly coming down her face, the cold already affecting them to turn into ice. She had too much distress over her mind to react clearly to anything on what was going on.

She shouted from the pain she was feeling mentally and physically. Her whole body had frostbite, causing no warmth to penetrate through her breath.

"Please…please…make it go away!!!" She screamed, still trying to pull away from the chains.

She soon gasped in fright when she heard some growls come down from below her. She shivered as she looked down to see what it was, the chill causing her body to be too rigid to move.

She took an intake of breath when she saw strange creatures that she had never seen before, approaching from below. They looked similar in being heartless, but closely to that of a Nobody as well. They were all climbing slowly up the chains to reach out to her, seeing that she was trapped where she was.

Namine began to panic, trying to get the chains to release her, but her body wouldn't allow her to move. She closed her eyes, praying for some type of miracle.

She soon heard a whispered voice, _"Unbirths…Unbirths…"_ Is that what the creatures were called?

Namine soon felt a gust of strong wind pass by her, vanquishing away the creatures with one quick swipe before they had any chance in getting to her. The chains seemed to break from the sudden burst of wind as well, causing Namine to fall into the darkness below.

She let out a scream, but stopped when she felt someone catch her from falling. Soon the person who captured her, landed safely on an invisible platform in the darkness. A heartbeat could be heard in the distant, but it was too far too really tell.

Namine figured she was in Roxas's heart like always, expecting to probably see Axel to be her savior; but she was wrong. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the face of her Roxas, but there was something different about him.

He was wearing to what she believed to be a bronze like armor, the suit having many scars and dents from unknown battles. Still, something in her chest and mind told her that this person wasn't her Roxas, despite the similar features.

"Who are you? Roxas? No…you're not him, are you?" The person remained silent, only looking at her face with an intense stare. It caused her to blush, feeling his light blue eyes pierce through her.

He didn't speak to her, only holding her tightly as he turned around to see more Unbirths coming after them. He quickly drew out his keyblade, which looked old and ancient compared to the ones Sora and the others wielded.

He vigorously wiped them all out, holding Namine close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face into his shoulder as he fought them off.

After everything was in the clear, Namine looked up at the look alike Roxas, "Who…" She didn't get to finish what she was saying, the world around them beginning to change, shifting to what it seemed to be a beach.

The time of day looked to be late in the evening, the whole area sparkling from the sun's dim rays. The Roxas look alike placed her down on the lush wet sand, taking his direction towards something else.

She looked to see what he was staring, finding who she believed to be him with someone else with blue hair.

She barely heard him as he said, "We're friends, right?" She didn't catch the rest, his next words being, "Erase me." After that, the image of the two disappeared.

The beach was still there though, the two of them standing still where they were. She looked up at him, "What's you're name?"

He looked slightly down at her, their height being close together, "Ventus…" She was shock to hear his voice to be the same as Roxas's; but how can that be?

He struck another question out of her, "Who are you? And, what was that just now?" She was mentioning over the scene she just saw, her mind jumbling with confusion.

"Everything will be explained. But…you're right, I'm not your Roxas." He spoke, looking at her eyes, "And in someway, I'm not actually here either."

"A memory?" She asked aloud, causing Ventus to nod as his answer.

"The frozen chains; that was you?" He nodded once more, "I'm currently in form because of my sealed away memories and your powers; the reason being coming from the past."

He looked up at the setting sun, "In the end, both my friends had made a decision, causing everything to change. I lost both as a result." She was confused, his words not really making any sense to her.

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you the answers yet, for my own heart is discarded to really be myself, but; I do promise things will be explained in due time." He murmured to her, turning to her and grasping her hand, "You play a valuable part in all this, Namine…or should I say…." He was cut off from his thoughts, feeling a shift in the air.

"Looks like my time is up." He looked up to the sky, seeing a haze appear before looking down at Namine.

She spoke quickly, "Wait! What were you going to say?" But as things began to brighten up and light up the whole area, the only answer she got was a slow descending kiss on the lips.

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By using the Gummi Ship, Sora had made it back to Radiant Garden with haste. He had descended down upon an opening that was nearby the mountains, but not too far from the town.

He opened the lid to the cockpit, picking Namine up in his arms, as she was still unconscious. He hopped off the ship with a smooth landing, spotting his two best friend's rushing towards them.

"Sora! Is Namine okay?" Kairi shouted, becoming concern in seeing her friend to be in a comatose state.

"She's fine, just resting." He looked down at the pale girl, finding her breathing to be harsh but all in together calm.

"We should bring ourselves back to Merlin's place, the King and everyone else are waiting for us there." Riku commanded, finding that there were many things important to discuss about.

Sora nodded, "Right."

As they began their walk to the wizard's house, Kairi spoke to Sora, "Riku told me what happened. What do you think Namine would do next now that she knows about Roxas?"

"…" Sora was in deep silent from the question.

"I really don't know. I just hope that finding out the truth doesn't affect her too much." He remembered how she was disappearing more than usual from her 'illness'. He wondered if it had something to do with Roxas's lost memories of Namine that caused her to clear up so abnormally fast.

"When she wakes up, Kairi, I need you to help me convince her to join back with you again." He asked, walking behind Riku.

"I'll try, Sora; but you and I both know that's going to be difficult. I don't even know if joining with me will even work anymore." She spoke with a sullen expression.

"Why's that?" He was slightly startled from Kairi's lack of optimism, never seeing her be like this before.

"Because; King Mickey said so. He thinks there's just something else causing all this to happen." She answered evenly.

Sora wondered why the King would say such a thing. It just sparked more questions to rise from his mind. He knew the King was hiding something, just like he did about Riku. It was sad for him to think he couldn't trust him anymore; or the fact, that he couldn't trust Sora.

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Roxas stepped out of the portal alone, his partner from the mission being long gone into the darkness from his battle with his counterpart. He looked up, his hood covering his eyes well hidden as he found only Vexen waiting for him. The mad scientist looked grumpy and pissed, making Roxas look at him strangely with annoyance.

"I see that Xaldin wasn't worthy in coming back." He stated nastily, his hands shaking with great detest.

"Sora defeated him." He answered simply, not being bothered by the loss of his teammate.

"And it seems you've proved to be more successful in battle, I presume." Vexen spoke, his eyes twitching from vent up rage, a vein becoming visible.

Roxas ignored the comment with a blank stare; he then began to fish out the heart he captured in his coat. He passed it over to Vexen, his angry demeanor vanishing for the moment.

When he took the heart though, he became very displeased, "This isn't the heart of the princess's! This is just a worthless heart of a monster! Not any different to a heartless."

"It's worthy enough." Roxas spoke in a deadly tone, remembering the sacrifice that was made when getting that heart, "I know well enough that it holds the same value to the princess's. So, stop you're damn complaining. Where the hell is the Superior anyway? He's usually here waiting for me when I get back from a mission."

He was getting tired and frustrated, knowing what he had been through to get the heart, taking its toll on him. The girl was still haunting him, giving his head all sorts of pain that traveled through his body. He was strong enough though not to show the influence she had on him.

"The Superior is taking care of business. Someone had snuck into my lab and made it into a total wreck!" So, that's why he was acting like he had a keyblade up his ass.

Roxas folded his arms across his chest, "That explains your bitchy mood. Where is he?"

Vexen pointed over to the direction down the hall, already stuffing the heart into a bag and into his coat, "He's down the hall near where the meeting room is. In the meantime, I shall expect the heart in my own room."

"Do as you like." Roxas really didn't care, already making his way pass Vexen and down the hall where the Xemnas was.

He didn't walk for long, quickly finding the others in a small group, Larxene being the center of attention, "I told you what happened, I wouldn't lie to you, Superior." He knew something was up, closing in on them from behind.

"I wouldn't trust anything she says, Superior." Marluxia spoke, holding a rose between his fingers. He expected Larxene's face, who only glared at him in return.

"Same here! She's lying through her teeth!" Minx had busted out saying, not liking the idea of losing a comrade to the _Savage Nymph._

Xemnas took his piercing yellow eyes to Larxene's emerald ones. He kept silent the whole time, while the others argued over Larxene's alibi.

"What's going on here?" Roxas finally spoke, becoming confused over the situation.

Larxene's eyes widened from the sixteen year olds appearance, noticing the deadpan look on his face and ember eyes that burned underneath his hood. She really needed to pull this off in order to find out what's causing him to change so drastically fast.

"Can you believe this, Runt? All I did was exterminate a traitor who was sniffing around the lab. Linux had it coming it to her when I followed her, finding she was trying to read some notes you had, Superior." She directed her sight to the leader of the Organization, hoping he would just buy her lie already.

"How is that proof over your innocents?" Hexer had asked, his sister nodding over his words in agreement, "After all, rumors have it that you once tried to betray the Organization back in Castle Oblivion a few years ago."

Roxas became perked with interest over the matter, wondering what notes Larxene was talking about.

"Hey, I'll admit I've done my wrong; but it doesn't mean the Superior should take his new _nobodies_ likely either. After all, you guys haven't been part of the club that long." She fiercely remarked, her mind running with many ways to retort back to their accusation.

"I still find it to be very suspicious over your quick actions to kill Linux, number 12. However…" He looked at Larxene with a thoughtful look, "…I shall trust your words, for now. At any rate, Linux didn't really serve an important role to the Organization; so her death isn't a total loss to us." He coldly remarked, having no remorse or sympathy over a loss of a member.

"Thank you, Sir." She grinned wickedly, turning to Minx and the others with great triumph.

"Would you think it wise to make such a decision, Superior?" Saix asked, having his own speculations over the matter. Roxas remained silent the whole time; trying to decipher what was going through Xemnas's head.

"It's fairly alright." He turned to Roxas, realizing he needed to speak with him in private.

"This conversation is over, I need to speak with Roxas in alone." He spoke, making Larxene jump to her question, "Sir, wait! I was wondering…"

He turned to her, "I was just wondering; is it possible I could join Roxas in his next assignment?" She knew she was jumping the bullet for asking such a thing so hastily, considering she was balancing on a thread.

"I shall see. In the meantime, you are to stay away from Roxas for the time being." She was appalled by his demand, "I may have looked pass this situation, but it does not mean you have my full trust. I shall alert you when you are needed. Now all of you; leave."

Everyone that was around began to disband admittedly, not wanting to anger Xemnas from their dawdling. Larxene cussed deeply into her mind, '_Dammit, well, guess it's better than nothing._' She looked at Roxas, the boy staring back at her with a questioning look.

'_I __**will**__ get to the bottom of this.'_ She swore, looking up at the Superior's waiting form. She decided to finally leave with the others, her face fixed with great determination.

"Marxeus, make sure to keep an eye out for Larxene. You too, Xigbar." Xemnas had ordered the large muscular man and gunslinger, the both of them taking off down the hall.

When there was only Roxas and Xemnas left around the area, Roxas decided to speak, "Xaldin is dead." He straightaway got to the point.

"That is most unfortunate. It will seem like our group has dwindled from losing three members." He shook his head in disappointment, but he didn't seem to be all that troubled with it.

"Besides Xaldin, and most obvious now is Linux. Who was the other?" Roxas asked, keeping his hood up to cover his face.

"Number 10, also known as Luxord to most of you. Riku was the one who defeated him, failing me in having another heart for our collection. He proved to be dispensable to our goal."

"What's one less heart going to do to make a difference? We have plenty to spare for Kingdom Hearts." Roxas distantly spoke, not caring much for losing another member to their group.

"Ah, that's right. I'm predicted the mission was a success for you?" Xemnas asked, showing a wide smile to appear on his tanned face.

"Yeah, although I got the wrong heart you assigned me to get. The one I got though proved to have the same amount of value to the princess's; that I promise you." He declared, shifting his body a bit towards the wall.

"Doesn't matter, I shall take your word for it. Your insight to the hearts has grown exceptionally, just what I expected. I commend your skills to the Organization, thirteen." He smirked, patting a hand onto the boy's right shoulder.

"Now, go get some rest. You look tired." He noticed the weight of Roxas's lids pulling down on his eyes, despite the hood covering most of it.

He nodded, feeling the Superior walk pass him. He didn't make a move though as he asked, "There was a girl there." That caught Xemnas's attention right away, halting him in his steps.

"She had blonde yellow hair, eyes that seemed to bore into my being. It seemed like she knew me, and I her. Who is she exactly?" He asked, noticing the silence coming from his Superior to be foreboding.

Xemnas stood still, his face producing an irritated expression. He would have thought that Namine would have no affect to his 'heart' by now; why was her memory still strong? He had to answer quickly though, before Roxas became skeptical over his behavior being strange.

"She's no one of any importance to you; just a witch to the enemy who was trying to confuse you. She has the power to manipulate people's memories and hearts, you know. Seems to me she was only trying to trick you, but the darkness who hold proved to be stronger." He grinned back at the boy, "If that is all you need to know, I shall take my leave. I have my own mission to take care of." And with that, he decided to leave through a dark portal.

Roxas stood there in silent, shaking his head, "If what he said is true…then why were her tears real to me then any other memory could be in being fake. I feel her, right…here." He took his hand and pressed it upon his chest, the warmth he felt when he was near her gone, leaving only an empty cold space to be left behind.

He sighed mournfully, the thought of the girl's lips upon his coming back to him. He blushed as he remembered her taste, shaking it off as he marched down the hall to his room.

He had to listen to the Superior's words; this girl's powers really were troublesome to ignore. But was she really manipulating his memory to be a lie, or was it the other way around? If only he had a heart to make sense of it all; too bad that he didn't realize he had one already.

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Sora gently placed Namine on a bed inside a small room that Merlin had in his house. Mickey was behind him, gazing down at the girl with wonder. He ushered Sora out of the room so she can get her rest, meeting up with everyone else who were in the other room.

Sora had already explained to King Mickey over his encounter with Roxas, and how the assignment went at Beast's Castle. Things looked bleak and bad to Mickey's eyes; finding things becoming too difficult for him to ignore. He could also tell that Sora was getting very impatient with him over his choice of tactics in stopping the Organization; it wasn't just Sora alone though, Riku shared the same settlement.

Minnie quietly stepped forward, giving a look of sympathy to everyone in the room, "I first want to say, that I deeply regret the loss of our dear friends." They all knew whom she was talking about; all of them having a sullen look on their faces.

She folded her hands together, "I heard from Riku and Sora. It seems like we all know the occurrence of Roxas losing his memories of Namine. Sadly, when I was held hostage, I didn't get much information on why or what may have caused it."

"I believe it has something to do with him taking the hearts and making them form into darkness. The darkness might be affecting him as well when he takes those hearts." Riku spoke, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"It really doesn't matter, we can't really do anything about it. Not even Namine could get through to him." Sora said, placing his head down to hide his frustration from everyone, "But it doesn't mean she'll give up." He placed his hands on his knees, knowing for a fact that Namine wouldn't give up on Roxas.

"We've lost so many friends already, but I believed you said; if counted right; there are two Nobodies defeated from the Organization. Is that correct, Riku?" Merlin had asked, adjusting his round, but small glasses.

"Yeah, I defeated Luxord at Port Royal, while Sora defeated Xaldin at Beast's Castle. It's one of the good news we have gotten for a long time. I was able to stop them from taking Captain Jack's heart." Riku sighed, feeling some sort of accomplishment from the victory.

"Goofy and I failed to save King Triton in Alantica." Kairi spoke with a melancholic tone; "He traded his heart in for princess Ariel's. A member from the Organization by the name of Minx took him away."

"What about you, your majesty?" Sora asked, wanting to know how his progress went.

"I…I've been here. I've been investigating Ansem the Wise's computer a little bit. I was trying to find some answers to what my Master had told me before his heart was taken."

"What about?" Sora eagerly asked, jumping off his seat a little. Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down; feeling just as anxious as he was to know what King Mickey was talking about.

"When you and Namine left the area where Master Yen Sid and I were that day, he told me some things that were a serious issue." They all listened in, finally getting some sort of information from what King Mickey had.

"I've had talked to him about the door of Twilight, which if you all remembered; was one of our reasons in visiting him in the first place. He told me how if there is a Door to Darkness, as there is a Door to Light, then there surely is a door in between. Which comes to the conclusion to our Door of Twilight. The question is, what lies beyond it?" Mickey looked over at Sora, "Sora was the one…who opened the door to light; just as it was his destiny in doing so. But what lied beyond that door, Sora?"

"Destiny Island, my home." He answered simply, not knowing where King Mickey was going with this.

"The key to the Door of Light was you, and what laid beyond it was your desire to be home. A place where you felt where the darkness could not touch you, for it was important to you. It was also the time when you knew your adventure was over. You had met so many people, and had continued to conquer the darkness; even when it was close in bringing you in." He looked over to Kairi and Riku, "When you and Riku were at the dark beach, you had decided to become one with the darkness, correct?"

Sora nodded shamefully, remembering how he and Riku had met such a dead end.

"It wasn't until you found Kairi's letter that faith in the light inside your heart revealed the door. You were the one chosen to open the Door to the Light; such coincidences are not to be taken likely as fate." He closed his eyes, "But just as you were the chosen one to open the door to light-"

"Then there was someone who was chosen to open the Door to Darkness." Riku answered, realizing what Mickey was trying to say.

"But, your majesty. Who opened that there Door to the Duckling?" Goofy asked, twiddling his fingers together and then scratching his head.

Donald fixed Goofy's choice of words in an angry huff, "Darkness! You big palooka!"

"I think that answer is rather simple, my friend." Mickey gave a stern look, "It was Xehanort who had opened the Door to Darkness." Everyone slightly gave shock to the news, quieting down to let Mickey continue.

"After going against his Master's orders, Xehanort continued to do experiments in secret. This caused the Door to Darkness to appear, which in essence revealed itself to him as the answer to what makes a person's heart. When he had opened that door, he got his answer; losing his heart as a process. Which leads us to the enemy we face now."

"When he opened that door, things turned chaotic for the worse; worlds were being destroyed, and people were losing their hearts to the darkness; becoming a heartless within an instant. This comes to me finding about you Sora from my master, the boy chosen to open the Door to the Light and fix the evil deeds the Door of Darkness had created." He smiled, looking at the boy with pride over his role to the story of their adventure.

"So, What does all this have to deal with the Door to Twilight?" Aerith had asked, placing a hand calmly upon her chest.

"I would say that is also an obvious answer. It's the last door and key in ending everything to this battle; and to this war." He quietly said, his face holding a nostalgic look.

"So, I guess the real question is; who's the one to open the Door to Twilight?" Riku asked, finally catching on to everything Mickey was explaining.

"Exactly my point, Riku. This is why I've been doing my best to find the answers inside Ansem's computer, hoping he had something during his research. But it seems like I can't get through any further without Tron's help." He replied regrettably, causing everyone else to be in a slump.

"So this means we really don't have any answers to Xemnas's plot either?" Sora asked, getting up from his seat.

"I'm afraid not. All I know is that the Door to Twilight is the key in bringing back balance to our worlds; if only we knew more about it though." Mickey poked his head with a finger, placing a hand to support his elbow as he tried to think.

All of a sudden, Kairi spoke over concern for her sleeping friend who was in the other room, "Poor Namine, it's bad enough that she's disappearing and we don't even know why; but with discovering that Roxas is back with the Organization and has forgotten about her. I wonder what she'll do next." Her saying that brought a question to rise out of Sora.

"Your majesty, Kairi told me that making Namine join together with her wouldn't work anymore to keep her existence. Why is that?" He asked, hoping to get some answers.

"Sora, there's something about Namine that makes her different from any other Nobody. For she wasn't just born out of Kairi; actually; she was born from your body. You see, Namine is a Nobody from both you and Kairi, which is a phenomenon; even to my dear old friend, Master Ansem. Master Yen Sid had explained to me that Namine has a purpose that none of us are aware of yet. I think her situation is involved with that somehow; but I can't really say for sure." He let out a troubled sigh, "I really didn't get much answers over his words myself; but it did make me be aware that Namine is special. I'm sure you all know that yourself out of recent events."

They all had their source of flashbacks over the incidents that passed, all revolving a light that was penetrated out of Namine. Sora too had his own personal memories of the girl's latest relevance of abilities; recalling the moment at Beast's Castle when she felt the presence of the keyhole to darkness.

Sora felt like he had more hope though. If they could stop the Organization and find this Door to Twilight, then maybe this whole battle between darkness and light will finally be unraveled.

When silence finally filled the room, everyone heard a creek to a door open. They all turned their attention to it, catching the now awakened young witch, looking full-rested with a look of pure finality.

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Namine felt her body become warm, her lips puckered from the familiar yet violated kiss she received. There was something that had surged through her from the kiss, a comforting light of energy. She got up from where she was, finding herself to be still surrounded by darkness. This time though, she was standing on top of the designed stained glass to Roxas's heart.

She gasped though when she caught notice that the once and beautiful glass painting was now tainted with a grey and eerie like color. She walked a few steps from the dusty covered floor, touching her lips before looking around the area. There was nothing around.

She wondered if she was trapped inside her dream, hoping she would have wakened up by now. She became alarmed though when she heard a familiar voice come from behind her.

"Hey Namine, no time no see."

She turned swiftly around; spotting the redheaded Organization member that received a heart, "Axel! You're alright!" She then remembered her meeting with Xion, _'That's right, Xion said she saved him.'_

"Yeah, I was saved by somebody. I really don't quite know who the person was though, but I knew she was someone who once was in the Organization." He explained, moving his hands to empathize what he was saying to her.

'_It's not a surprise that he doesn't really remember who Xion was.'_ Namine shook her head, clearing her mind away from the girl, "Really? Either way, I'm glad to see that you're safe." She beamed, happy to see the man after such a long absence.

"Yeah, things seem to be getting crazy up there for you, huh?" He said, scratching the back of his head in frustration when he usually gets uncomfortable.

Namine nodded faintly, tears already beginning to rise. She started to recall many flashbacks of Roxas; the thought of him actually not remembering her becoming unbearable.

"_Namine, as long you and me have these feelings for each other, and remember how we remember each other; we won't disappear. I told you that before, didn't I?"_

"_Shh…I won't let you disappear. Never will I let that happen. I will give my heart if I had one before I let that happen. Even if it means I have to join back with the Organization again."_

"_I have to leave, Namine. I can't stay here and watch you disappear."_

"_I have to finish my mission. I have to get that heart."_

"_Please, don't come after me. When I'm near you, I can't seem to stop myself from…"_

"…_From holding you from disappearing from me."_

"_Goodbye."_

Namine shuttered out a cry, beginning to sob her heart out as she shed a heavy amount of tears. Axel was startled from the outburst, not knowing what to do to comfort the girl; no amount of _'It's going to be alright'_ could ease the pain she was feeling.

He knew about the events that have passed in the other realm, despite being in this one. He terribly wanted to beat the shit out of Roxas for being such an idiot for falling for Xemnas's plot. Although, Axel himself didn't know what the man was scheming; but he sure as hell knew somebody in the Organization who was trying to.

He grinned slyly over Larxene's tactics and turnaround, feeling pleased that she was doing the right thing; more for her own desires and interest thought then for others. But, he was skeptical over the mysterious voice that had spoke to her, seeing as he couldn't reach anyone else besides Namine; and that one time with Roxas, which was by chance.

But still, the womanly voice did perk an interest to him in who it belonged to.

He finally looked down at the girl, finding she was calming down a bit; but when she looked up at him her face was flushed with despair.

"You going to be okay?" He asked, knowing he needed to get things rolling with Namine, for they had things that needed to be discussed.

She nodded in affirmative, taking Axel's hand as he began to lead her the way across the circle-designed platform.

"He's really sunk down into the darkness." He said as a matter of fact, looking down across the painting on the floor. Namine only nodded, her mind actually drifting back to the mysterious stranger who looked like Roxas. He said that his name was Ventus, but why did he resemble Roxas? Or was it the other way around; why did Roxas resemble him?

"You were where the chains were at, weren't you, Namine?" He asked, looking back at the mute girl. She only nodded as her reply.

"Did something happen?" He asked, giving her a skeptical look. She stayed quiet, not knowing if she should say anything or not; She went with the latter.

"I can't really remember; I'm sorry." She said meekly, her voice becoming small.

Axel only sighed in distress, hoping she had found some answers; considering the chains didn't relate in belonging to Roxas's memories. He knew it had to be somebody else's if it wasn't his best friend's; but how can that even be? Everything just kept on ending with more questions having little answers.

Before Namine even realized it, she and Axel were in front of the door he had shown her before, the Door to Twilight.

She looked up the colossus-designed door, her neck straining from the height. It was then that Axel spoke unexpectedly, his voice being stern, "This door can't be opened by you Namine; it's a fake."

"What?" She looked towards, bringing her neck down.

He touched the smooth golden surface of the door, "It's not really here; it's just an image of how it looks like. The real door has yet to reveal itself. Which means…" He turned to her, "The times hasn't come for it to be opened. There's still something missing."

"You mean the person chosen to open it." She elucidated, looking back at the door, "But who?"

"Well, I have my hunches." Axel said, placing his hands behind his head, "One of them leading me to you, but if that's so; then why hasn't the door revealed itself to you? Since you're so special. I don't know; maybe there's just something missing to it all."

She gave him a perplexed look, finding it weird that Axel was so aloof towards the situation.

She turned her whole body to him, eyes set with an unyielding stare, "Axel?" He turned to her, "Hmm…?"

She gulped, but still kept her posture strong, "Is Roxas losing his memories because of the darkness that escapes each time he takes a heart?" The man closed his eyes, giving a thoughtful expression, "That's a theory, but I don't think that's quite it. Everyone assumes it is, but you and I know better; don't we, Namine?"

She gave a fearful look, "Then, if what I'm thinking is true. It really is all my fault."

"Hey"

She looked up at the man, "Don't you go thinking that; it just shows you that Roxas still loves you underneath all that yucky darkness that is covering his memories. He's just losing to his own fear of losing you is all. Got it memorized?" He grinned, giving Namine's button nose a tiny flick before drawing himself back into a locked upright position.

He soon noticed the light that was beginning to glow around Namine, "Looks like you're about to wake up. I'll be seeing you soon then, Namine. Do what you think you need to do, for not only for your sake…"

"But for Roxas." She finished, giving him a firm nod as he saluted her. Soon all Namine could really see was a bright flash of white smoke, slipping her consciousness back into her body to awaken.

Namine felt something soft underneath her body, finding she was on a bed. She woke up with bewilderment, discovering to be inside a room then inside the Gummi Ship where she expected to be. She slowly drew the silk woven blanket off her, bringing her legs out and placing them on the cold floor.

She tried to bring back the warmth she felt when she was under the blanket by rubbing her hands up against her arms. She slowly looked around, finding many spell books and potion bottles that were laid neatly inside a shelf.

"Is this Merlin's place?" She recognized the décor from her last visit there, "That would mean I'm back at Radiant Garden." She soon heard some recognizable voices at the otherside of the door.

She got up off the bed, heading towards the door to listen on their conversation. They had brought up the topic about the Door to Twilight, peeking her interest about the mysterious door. Sadly though, she didn't get as much answers as she did with Axel.

While eavesdropping on them, Namine's mind began to drift back to Roxas. She placed a firm fist upon her chest, her body yearning for his touch. But the strongest feeling she missed the most was his caressing smooth voice, serving itself as her sanctuary. She craved for him so, wanting to hear him say how much he loved her and how he will never forget her. It was what kept her believing that her existence meant something, at least for him.

But, now…

She gripped the top of her dress in a tight grip; she knew what she needed to do in order find her own answers to bring Roxas back to her.

When silence soon engulfed the room on the other side, Namine took this time to open the door. All eyes fell on her, her body becoming tired with fatigue as she gripped herself against the doorframe.

With a look that was unreadable to the others, Namine firmly spoke with fortitude, "I've decided to stay behind…"

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Xemnas's portal arrived him into Vexen's large room, finding the scientist already working up a storm over the hearts they've collected.

He approached the table he was experimenting on, "I presume things are going smoothly despite the wreckage of the lab?"

"Everything is going quite well, Superior. With the number of hearts we've collected not only from the heartless, but from the ones Roxas has taken personally; our own Kingdom Hearts shall be almost complete." He then turned to a large container filled with water, King Triton floating lifelessly inside.

"I'm going to have to remind Roxas later to take the heart out of that specimen." He spoke, grinning like a madman.

"Indeed, he's proving himself to be fairly helpful to our plans. His own fears consuming him to oblivion, which as a result has made him lose what he holds most dear." Xemnas smiled up at the large container, "When everything is completed, Namine will finally serve her destiny to my final arrangements."

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Finally done!! I felt like this chapter was going on and on; so much talking! But each conversation served a purpose, as you can see. Well, I can't really say much to this chapter but, wow, more plot development! Hopefully, I can bring up the next chapter soon. Actually, I think the next chapter is going to be short. Not short, but not long either. Well, hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter like you did the last! Please, leave some reviews for it shall make me happy to know I'm doing some justice to this story XD."

_Preview for next time…_

"_It's been awhile…"_

"_This is what you've been hiding…"_

"_I want to know…"_

"_I shall take my friend now…"_

Roxas: "Leave reviews to the nearest green button that is below this message."


	25. A Secret Down Below

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "Yay, another update to my reviewers! I like to say I hug and love all of you for your comments from the last chapter! Yes, the plot is getting bigger, and there is more to come. In the end, this chapter also ended up being long; I wish it didn't, but I guess it was unavoidable. Alright, enough of me; let's commence to the chapter!"

Chapter 25 A Secret Down Below

Larxene entered her room, closing the door to be left alone for the night. Xigbar and Marxeus had kept an eye out for her the whole time without her knowing. They had strict orders from Xemnas to make sure she doesn't go anywhere near Roxas; fear of her knowing something that may cause the boy to question their motives. He couldn't have that, not when his plans were so close in succeeding.

But, Xigbar being Xigbar, he got bored very easily to the task he was given with. He patted Marxeus's large back with a grin, "Hey buddy, I'm going to turn in for the night. I think a big dude like yourself can handle things fine here."

The man kept silent, only giving a short nod. Xigbar chuckled nervously from the man's behavior and quiet reply, "Just like the little dude, huh? You both are the silent type." He then chuckled heartedly, giving a wave to Marxeus before walking off down the hall to his room.

Marxeus just stood where he was, deciding to hide somewhere in the shadows to keep an eye; he hid behind some pillars that were by the walls. A man with no words, but he was serious to his task; he will dispose anyone that might come in contact with the lighting surging female.

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Mickey and Sora stared Namine down from what she had just announced. Everyone else remained still and silent, not knowing how to make from her outright declaration. All anyone could hear was the buzzing of Cid's computer and the crackling of wood in Merlin's fireplace.

Kairi though, couldn't take the silence any longer, "Namine, what are you saying?" She asked, even though she had a clear idea of what her other self was thinking.

"I'm going to stay here. I already settled it." She told them, bringing herself to stand straight up.

"I don't understand." Kairi replied, her face scrunching up in puzzlement.

"It's because of Roxas, isn't it?" Riku announced aloud, making everyone turn to face him.

Namine became quiet from his accusation, only closing her eyes and placing her head down as she nodded coyly. She then looked up at Sora, already letting him know what she was about to ask.

"He took another heart, didn't he?" It was more like a statement than a question, her words causing her to be remotely still with a vacant expression on her face. She seemed lost and empty inside when she asked, her constant tears when she was at Beast's Castle leaving her dry and fatigued.

Sora nodded sadly, already recalling up memories of the Beast's demise to save Belle's life. He shook with rising anger and sorrow, both mixing an unsettling feeling inside his heart.

Mickey stared the young witch, already trying to decide what to do next from her sudden request.

He looked over at everyone, "Everyone, I need to speak with Namine alone in the other room. Sora, Riku, I would like to two of you to come with me." They both nodded, the four of them entering back inside the room where Namine was resting in.

They closed the door behind them, making sure to keep their conversation private. Everyone else who waited back in the living room were left out of the loop, many thoughts coming through to them in what was going on. But they followed King Mickey's orders, trusting his judgment every step of the way.

Namine sat down on the bed, causing it to creek lightly from her small weight. She looked up at Sora and Riku who only started back at her with extreme concern and bewilderment.

It was King Mickey who decided to speak first, "Namine, are you sure you want to stay behind?" She nodded, "Yes."

"I don't get it. Is it really because you can't face Roxas again?" Sora asked, his mind thinking she would have done the opposite and would have continued with their journey together to other worlds.

"That's part of it." She answered meekly, not wanting to bring up Roxas anymore for it brought too much pain.

Riku seemed to spot the effect of Roxas being mentioned, "Then why now? What's your other reason?" He asked, recalling her saying that Roxas was part of it.

She remained quiet, not knowing how to answer. Mickey prodded, "Namine, I need to know so I can make a decision on what to do."

She began to bite her bottom lip, fiddling her fingers together nervously. She couldn't well tell them about her dreams and the people she had been seeing in them; knowing them, they would probably be concern about it and question her when she herself didn't know all the answers.

She tore some skin off her lip, trying to think of what to say. It wasn't until Sora got her attention again, "Namine?"

She sighed, decided it was time to speak, "I…I want to investigate Ansem's computer on my own." They all jumped, gasping from her words.

"How are you going to do that? There's nothing else in there we don't already know." Riku commented, not believing her purpose well enough.

"I…I have to try, though!" She exclaimed dramatically, her eyes sparkling with fierce resolve, "When I heard over your conversation, I couldn't help but to wonder over my own questions."

"What questions are those?" Sora asked, deciding to sit down.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, but please…let me do this. I don't want to slow you guys down for unlocking the keyholes; not with the way I am now." She spoke, enclosing her hands together.

"Namine…" Sora whispered, the girl's words affecting him to look at her in awe, as well as Riku and King Mickey.

Mickey looked at Namine, knowing she was hiding a lot more from them, but decided to leave it be, "All right then. You can remain here." Sora and Riku looked at him, surprised to see that he was agreeing with Namine's request.

"Thank you, your majesty." She said with great gratitude, glad to see he was allowing her to stay without their supervision.

He nodded to her, giving her a friendly smile. He then looked over to Sora and Riku again, "Sora, Riku, inform the others that we'll be continuing our journey to the worlds to unlock the keyholes to darkness. The quicker we leave, the quicker we can get to reaching the Organization's stronghold and stopping their plans. Also…" he looked over at Namine, "…The quicker we can bring Roxas back home."

Namine gasped from Mickey's words, her eyes gleaming as she smiled widely.

"Alright, your majesty." Riku declared over the message, heading out the door with Sora.

"Oh, and Sora!"

The young Keyblade Master turned to Mickey, hearing his call, "Make sure to tell Jiminy that I need to speak with him." The boy nodded in understanding, heading out the door and closing it behind him.

Mickey turned to Namine, "Make sure to stay safe. If there's any trouble, Cid and Yuffie we'll be here to protect you." She nodded, Mickey taking it as a signal to leave the room.

"Your Majesty!"

He turned to the girl swiftly, catching a look of disturbance on her face.

"The Door to Twilight…do you have any clue who might be the one to open it." She asked humbly, looking at him intensely.

He looked at the girl, both knowing they had their own curiosity towards the possibility, "I'm not too sure." He said honestly, looking away from her.

Namine looked disappointed from his answer, settling herself down heavily onto the bed, "I see."

It was then that they heard a small voice come by the door. They looked down by the door spotting Jiminy, making his way through a small crack that was left opened, "Sire, you wanted to speak with me?" He asked, jumping across the floor to the King.

"Yes, but let's talk in private Jiminy. We must make this quick though, we need to leave as soon as possible." The little cricket agreed, jumping over to the mouse's shoulder as he made his way to the door.

"Be safe on your journey, your majesty." Namine said, remaining where she was.

"Golly, don't worry; I will." He said, giving the girl one more smile before leaving the room completely.

When the door closed, Namine let out an exhausting sigh. She closed her eyes, now rethinking her motives for staying behind. She couldn't look back though, she felt like there was something calling for her at Ansem's lab. She needed to discover what it was and expect that computer herself before she can continue on in their journey; but also, before she can face Roxas again.

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Roxas stepped out of the extra lab room that was in Vexen's lodgings, having taken another heart from the King of seven seas. He was exhausted at this point, finding no time to rest; for as soon as he had entered his room, Zexion came by to tell him Vexen needed him to extract another heart.

He did what he was ordered to do admittedly, finding he couldn't get to sleep anyway.

Vexen had thanked him for his cooperation, getting a hold of another heart. He would soon present the heart to Kingdom Hearts, allowing the large relic they were creating to take the offering.

When Roxas had stepped out of the room though, he spotted Zexion waiting for him. He was lent back against the wall with his eyes closed in concentration, soon opening them as he felt Roxas's eyes on him.

The boy who bore the unlucky number as his code name had his hood down, his eyes still clear with a gold like color.

"I'm here to escort you back to your room." The older member said, picking his body off the wall, "Orders from the Superior who left earlier today."

"Left? Where did he go?" Roxas asked, studying the man before him in deep questioning.

Zexion was carrying one of his many studying books, opening a random page, "What the Superior does is none of my business; as well as yours." He smoothly remarked, scanning over the page with little interest.

"Whatever." Roxas scuffed, turning away from Zexion.

"I don't need a baby-sitter." He coldly stated, his mind going back to the conversation between Larxene and the others, the mentioning of forbidden notes perking his curious side.

"I'm well aware of that, but orders are orders." Zexion said, looking at the boy strictly.

"Guess it would seem Xemnas doesn't trust me either." He chuckled cunningly, sending a shiver through Zexion's spine over such a dark tone.

"Watch your tongue, you are to address the Superior as accordingly." He scolded, not liking Roxas's attitude.

"Fine, but it's your life you're risking for pissing me off." He turned his face slightly to the side, his eyes penetrating through Zexion's very being.

The man took the warning, deciding to let Roxas alone as he requested. He didn't want to face the wrath of a person who could wield two keyblades at once; he knew better than to cross that path.

Roxas went on ahead, leaving the bookworm Organization member behind. Zexion scowled at the back of the blonde's head, not appreciating the way he was just treated just now, "Damn, ignorant brat." He slammed his book shut, losing interest all in together in reading it as he was now in a foul mood.

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It wasn't long ago that Sora and the others had left, needing to get back to schedule in unlocking the keyholes to darkness as soon as possible. Riku gave a warning to them that the darkness around the worlds seemed to be spreading. Mickey had clarified though, that is was a good sign; for it meant they were close in unlocking the world where Roxas was. However, Sora was still peeved over the predicament, knowing how dangerous it was for the other worlds. But he learned to accept it, knowing it was the only way.

They had all taken off in their own Gummi Ship; Cid, Chip, and Dale making minor changes to the ships' engines before letting them depart.

They had all been assigned to a different world, in order to unlock the keyholes of darkness. Sora was assigned to head for Olympus Coliseum; Kairi to Wonderland; and Riku to Agrabah. King Mickey decided to head for Pride Rock, seeing as it was one of the farthest worlds out in the galaxy. With that, they had confirmed that there was only handful of worlds remaining left; they were almost done.

Mickey had told Minnie to stay behind, explaining that it will be safer for her to remain in Radiant Garden than back at the castle. She agreed, deciding that it would be for the best. Jiminy was also appointed to stay behind, his majesty giving him strict orders to keep an eye out for Namine.

After all was set and done on what to do, they had departed once again, getting back on track over their mission. Namine had remained in the room where she was, waiting for the opportunity to leave when she had told the others goodbye.

She eased herself off the soft and warm bed that was attached to her heat, looking around the room to see if anyone was around. When she saw that she was the only person in the room, she completely lifted herself off the bed and walked towards the closed door.

She opened it, only to close it back as she saw Aerith pass by. She didn't know why she was acting suspicious, so she just opened the door anyway.

Aerith caught notice of her, "Namine honey, is there anything you need?"

"No, I was just going to head out for a bit. I promise I'll be back." She spoke, already making her way to the door before Aerith could ask anything else.

She opened the door and closed it right behind her, letting out a sigh of release. She then set herself up in an upright position, heading off towards the labs that once belonged to Ansem the Wise.

What she didn't know though, was that Jiminy Cricket was not too far behind. He had noticed Namine stepping out of the small house, deciding to follow the girl to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. He wasn't alone though; the Gullwings also tagged along it would seem.

"What are you three pixies think you're doing?" Jiminy asked, hopping away not too far behind of Namine.

"We're looking for treasure!" Rikku happily announced, flying overheard of the little cricket.

"Yes, but I'm not looking for treasure! I'm keeping an eye out for Namine! I have strict orders from his majesty, King Mickey, to do so." He scornfully replied to the girls, holding onto an umbrella with one hand and his hat in the other.

"You're not looking for treasure?" Yuna asked innocently, hoping that following Jiminy they would.

"No!"

"Well, might as well follow him. I was getting bored without having anything to do anyway." Paine spoke with a bored tone, proving to have some interest to where the bug was going.

"I agree! We might find treasure!" Rikku shouted with glee, pumping her tiny fists in the air.

The other two agree without any consent from Jiminy, causing him to let out a bothersome sigh of defeat. The four small fey like creatures followed the girl, passing through the rocky paths that led up the closed down lab.

Namine entered the puzzle like paths inside the lab's domain, still being oblivious to the group who was following her. She had entered inside Ansem's hold discarded room, finding it to be a mess with papers and books. She noticed the painting of his proud student who had betrayed him, Xehanort. She looked at the picture, expecting it closely; there was something about him that triggered her, and it wasn't just the fact that Xemnas was his Nobody.

When looking at the picture long enough, she soon caught a whisper of a voice.

'Ven…Terra…'

Namine gasped, catching Jiminy and the Gullwings to become alert over her sudden reaction. She turned away from the painting, looking out to the clear opening path that led to Ansem's computer room. She had recognized the name that the voice had called out, at least the 'Ven' part of it.

She walked over to the opening passageway, entering inside and making her way over the bridge. Jiminy and the others had waited for a while before deciding to continue on following the girl. He kept hushing them to be quiet as they whispered among themselves over what could be happening.

When Namine entered the large computer room, she headed towards the large machine right away. She clicked on some buttons, typing different sources that may help her find her answers; but she couldn't find anything.

She let out a frustrated moan, calling out to only one name, "Roxas, what should I do?" She soon heard the voice again, but it came clearer this time; it sounded like a female's voice.

'Kingdom Hearts…'

She felt like the voice was calling to her, beckoning her over to another passageway that was inside the room. She took her attention off the computer, looking at the entrance rather curiously. She took a gulp, slowly making her way over to the large open doorway.

Jiminy and the Gullwings became perplexed over the girl's sudden change in direction. He thought Namine only had interest to the computer, but something obviously was catching the girl's attention.

Namine passed through the other section, finding stairs that led to nothing in particular. She decided to descend down on them anyway, carefully making her stroll light and easy down the steps. She finally made it to the end, looking around only to see nothing of any relevance to her. Just before she was about to turn away, she heard the voice again.

'Awakening…sleep…'

Her eyes seemed to go in a trance like mood after hearing the voice once more, triggering the light that was locked inside of her to show it's brilliance. Namine gasped as she felt the warmth and glow consume her being, making her mind go blank as the flash of light engulfed the entire area. Jiminy and the three little fairies had covered their eyes, the light becoming too strong for them see anything.

Namine's eyes became a hazy color, making her light blue eyes misty and hollow. A sound could be heard of a hangar opening, but the light was too bright for Jiminy and the others to see. Namine mindlessly saw the passageway open up to reveal a low slope. She took slow steps down, never hearing her name being called out.

The hanger quickly closed shut from two sliding doors, causing the light to vanish as Namine made it through the lower levels. Jiminy and the Gullwings not spotting what had just happened were shocked to see the girl to be gone. They quickly made their way down the steps, expecting the area to find her.

"This is horrible. Namine!?" Jiminy had shouted out, hoping to get a reply; he didn't receive one.

"Where did she go?" Yuna asked nervously, not understanding where that warm, but blinding light came from.

"I don't know. You girls go back and ask for help. I'll stay here to see if I could find her somehow." They nodded, already taking flight back up the steps to alert the others what happened.

Jiminy shook his head in pure befuddlement, wondering just where the young witch had gone off. He remembered hearing what it seemed to be a mechanical machine opening up to a hanger of some source, but he couldn't really tell since he didn't see anything from the light.

"Oh, Namine, where could you have gone off to?" He questioned in deep thought, shaking his head, as he could not come up with any possible answer.

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Roxas walked up a clear path that had a set of stairs off the castle's building, making his way up another floor. His mind was running with the need in seeing Larxene, her words over what Linux's was trying to read getting to him. He had a feeling though that she wasn't explaining the whole truth to that story; she never was one to be honest.

He stopped in mid-step up the stairs, letting him think deeply over the events that have passed. Everything seemed to link him to that girl; his questions over Xemnas's motives also perking an interest in him. He knew it was to insure the completion of Kingdom Hearts, but there was something else that the man was hiding from him. He couldn't really well say he believed him when he said that the girl was trying to trick him either, her presence making him seem lost over who she was to him.

He soon decided to make a rash verdict; he was going to see Larxene and get some straight answers from her.

He hastily continued to makeup sometime he had lost from standing where he was for so long, already making a detour to where the female member room was. His cloak bellowed as he scurried himself down the hall with an intense posture, placing his hood up as not to be spotted.

He sprinted down the hall, nearing the door to her room. He stopped in front of it, looking back and forth to see if anyone was near by before knocking on the door gently. He made sure it was loud enough though to catch Larxene's awareness to his presence.

What he didn't catch though was the dark shadow that was watching him behind a pillar near the walls, watching as the door opened to reveal Larxene. She looked grouchy from being disturbed, but that all changed when she saw it was Roxas knocking on her door.

"What are you doing here? Trying to get me in trouble?" She asked unsympathetically, glaring down at the boy.

"I want to know." He spoke casually, looking down at nothing in specific. She didn't say anything, wondering what he was going with this.

"Do you know anything about that girl…named Namine?" He asked, looking up at her and showing real emotions for the first time since she had last seen him.

She beckoned him inside, looking around to make sure no one was outside the hall; little do they know that Marxeus was spying on them.

He slowly eased himself through the door, hearing Larxene close it behind him. He finally flipped his hood back, revealing his young and handsome face.

"You really don't know who she is?" She asked, placing her hip out with a hand on top of it.

He shook his head negatively, motioning himself to the large glass window, spotting the half-made Kingdom Hearts in the sky from a distant. He could hear Larxene produce a long sigh, showing him that she was troubled. She sat herself down in her flat made bed, looking up at him with her hands placed firmly on the bed from either side of her.

"What makes you come to me like I have the answers?" She asked, turning away from him like he disgusted her.

"Don't you?" He asked innocently, "I know you have to, Larxene. I also came to ask you about those reports who you supposedly saw Linux reading." He asked, eyeing her like she was hiding something from him.

"Yeah, I probably might. But I don't give away answers for free." She eyed him back, giving him her usual impatient look.

"I'm not going to force it out of you and I don't have anything that may interest you, so; I'll just make my leave." He started heading out the door, but stopped when she spoke lowly.

"Wait."

He turned to her, wondering what she had to say, "I'm only doing this because of, Axel…as much as I hate that idiot now. I know he would probably want me to do what was right. Besides, how can I let you leave with such a stupid expression on your face." She snidely remarked, lifting herself off the bed.

"So, do you know anything about the reports?" He asked tersely, hoping she knew something.

"That depends, do you trust me?" She asked, giving him a doubtful look.

"No." He answered honestly; not knowing what to make of what she was thinking half the time.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you think you can trust me as a friend, Roxas? I may be the only one here who you can actually ask about who that girl is." She spoke with a sincere tone, hoping he would.

"I really don't know what to think. But, I guess I will have to trust you." He said, looking down to the ground with little reassurance.

"Well, let me start by saying this. That girl you met, is Namine; but I'm sure you're already aware of her name." He confirmed with a nod.

"Well, She's the reason why you're in the Organization right now." He looked up at her in confusion at this time, "Supposedly, your dear, dear Namine has been performing a disappearing act lately. You couldn't bare it and decided to join back with us."

"But why?" He asked desperately.

"How should I know? I'm trying to figure out the answers myself. But the way I see it, the Superior made some promises to you that if you collect hearts for Kingdom Hearts, than your sweet Namine should be able to keep her existence. That's all I can make up out to you, so far." She answered, shaking her head over her own explanation.

"I don't get it, then how come I don't remember her?" He asked, pressing a hand to his head.

"You idiot, what did you feel when you saw her!?" She asked angrily, not believing how doped Roxas was to Xemnas's lies.

"I…I…I…" He tried to remember, fear gripping his insides and making him collapse to the ground as he felt the weight of the darkness pull him down. It made his eyes burn like they were on fire, pulling him into some sort of pain as he felt the darkness of the hearts he had taken.

Larxene rushed to his side, crouching to see if the boy was all right, "Hey, runt! Are you still with me?" She patted his back, trying to calm his stiff body down as he gripped his head.

"No…I don't want to…" He whimpered, scrunching his face shut.

"Hey! Roxas!" She shouted, trying to snap him out of it.

He finally calm down, shuttering a breath as some saliva dripped down his lips. He quickly wiped it off, picking himself back up. Larxene followed him up, looking at him with deep trepidation.

"You were saying something about something? What was it?" She looked at him strangely; could've sworn they were talking about Namine just a minute ago.

"Wait, you were just asking me about Namine?" She asked aloud, wondering what was going on.

"That girl who tried to trick me with false memories? Why would I ask about her?" Her eyes widened, realization coming to her.

She gripped Roxas's shoulders without warning, "I think I know what's going on. Roxas don't be scared! I know you know who Namine is! Don't let the fear from the darkness consume you!" He shoved Larxene back away from him, not understanding what she was saying.

"Why should I believe you? You're on the border line of being branded a traitor." He looked at her with a narrowing look.

She glared at him, scoffing as she turned towards her bed, pulling out the notes she had found in the lab from underneath.

She shoved it in his hands, "Here! This is what you want, right!? Just look at what he's planning! He expected you to lose your memories! He expected Namine's existence fading! He has it all planned and you're just falling for it like a JACKASS!" She screamed the last part, frustrated already for dealing with such a dimwit.

He looked at the papers she gave him, and that's exactly what he did; he just looked at them. He shoved them right back at her, not daring to read them. Larxene took them, looking at him with pure disbelief before grinding her teeth in aggravation.

She flipped through the entries, finding one she hadn't read yet aloud to him.

_**Xemnas's Report V**_

_**Date: XX-XX-XX**_

_As everything comes to almost being complete, it will be time to be getting the girl soon. Roxas will forget about Namine and the darkness he carries shall be transferred to her._

_Once everything is done, Kingdom Hearts shall have an existence like we nothingness._

_After that, my search for the 'real' Kingdom Hearts shall come into play. With the help of my little creation, I could finally find the hearts of all worlds._

_This time Kingdom Hearts shall not reject me, for I shall create a being anew that is shall accept._

_And it shall all be thanks to Roxas who had made it all possible; nothing that the 'Keyblade Hero' or that failed 'Replica clone' could ever do._

_Funny how everything fell into place over something I didn't plan. Love was the key to it all._

_Something that was truly unexpected for two Nobodies to ever feel. Then again, they both are 'special'._

"See! This is proof enough to everything I have said to you, Roxas!" Larxene exclaimed, finding the report to be the last one she had taken.

Roxas just looked at her in disbelief, looking over to the floor as his eyes shifted left to right.

"No, I can't…." His head started to hurt again, closing his eyes shut to block out the pain.

He rapidly turned around, heading towards the door; this was a mistake, all it led was for him to be more mystified. Larxene grasped his hand though before he could escape from her.

"Roxas, believe me when I tell you that I'm not making all this up. Remember Namine, please, he's plotting something that will be the end for both of you." She actually pleaded, actually feeling sympathy for once. What was this that she was feeling? Care? Concern? Friendship? What happened to the cool and cruel number XII, the Savage Nymph that had no sense of the word mercy?

Holding the sleeve of his coat, Larxene spoke, "Don't do this. You have to believe me, Roxas." She didn't know how repeating herself was going to get through to him, but she knew she had to try, "Don't let the darkness win, don't let Xemnas win. He may give you what you want, but with what price?"

"So, it wasn't Linux snooping around the lab…it was you…" He said, turning to her with tears falling down his face. She was shocked to see such tears, but not as shocked as him who had began to wipe them off vigorously.

"Why won't they stop?" He questioned the falling droplets of dew, continuing to wipe them off his face.

"You're going to have to believe what I said to answer that." She finally let go of his sleeve, having nothing else to say.

"And yes, it was me." She clarified when he had asked about the notes, "Are you going to snitch on me?"

He shook his head, "I have to think…I can't make sense to all of this…but no…I won't tell on you." He told her, heading to the door as he held a hand out to it.

He began to open it slowly, but not until he head Larxene's last words of defense, "I may be a Nobody with no heart, but I know how you feel about Namine. Please Roxas, think over what's right in your heart to bring back those memories of Namine's existence. It may be what saves her."

"How can you say that when I have no memory of her?" He asked, walking out the door and closing it carefully behind him.

Larxene let out a crushed sigh, throwing the papers that were in her hand to the floor. She had tried to get through to him, and she was hoping that she did; but somehow, something told her it wasn't going to be that easy.

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Namine snapped out of her trance, realizing she was in a whole new different area inside the domain. She didn't remember what happened after she had heard the voice, warmth filling her body within seconds later.

"Well, I'm here now." She announced to herself, still becoming bemused in how she got there.

She saw a long slope up ahead to the side, circling all the way down to the bottom. She was a little precautious to go down the path, but since she had nowhere else to move forward to, she began to make her way down.

She could feel an aura getting stronger as she walked down the long road. She felt like she was feeling a person down there, but she couldn't really tell. The voice though, came back to make itself known.

'Keyblade…Namine…'

When she heard her name be called from the voice, Namine admittedly halted where she was in fear. She looked over the edge to the dark bottom below, not seeing anything. She whimpered, crouching down and crawling back to the wall to hide from the dark depths.

It was at this moment that Roxas and everything that had happened came rushing back to her. She sniffed, picking herself back up. She knew she couldn't back down now, not when she felt like there was something down there that was a key to all this.

"No voice is going to scare me. I won't allow it." She put up a fierce courageous expression, continuing her stride down the long number of steps.

As she came closer and closer, she felt the aura of a person that was close to resemble Sora and Riku, maybe even Xemnas and Roxas getting nearer. She finally made it to the bottom, light soon illuminating the darkness from the bottom floor.

She walked down the long empty hallway that was ahead, spotting a locked door in the distant. She looked upon the cell looking openings that were on the walls with great dread, trying her best to ignore them.

She was halfway close to the door, placing a firm hand to her chest as she approached it. She looked up at the entrance, finding designs of chains placed on either side with the Nobodies crest painted black. She touched the door gently, causing it to react and open itself up.

When it did, Namine had jumped back in fright from its sudden release. She saw that the room looked to be dark and empty. With one final decision of determination gripping her heart, she entered inside the small province that was kept hidden below the laboratory's base.

Once she entered the room, the doors slid shut behind her. She winced, finding herself to be in complete darkness. She soon heard the machines start to run as they turned on the lights inside the room, surging through the design chains that were painted to the floor and walls.

Namine looked around the lit up room, her eyes soon spotting pieces of blue armor lying across the floor. She was shocked to see though that there was no person inside the blue empty armor, finding an actual rusted up keyblade next to it. It looked familiar to the one who looked like Roxas was wearing and holding, but a little different; it still looked old and damaged though.

"What is this?" She said, walking up to the empty suit of armor, "Just who are you? Who am I?" She asked, not understanding how she was even capable in hearing the mysterious voice in the first place.

"What secret is this?" She slumped to the floor, now becoming startled over her discovery. She soon heard a voice come from behind her.

"It's been awhile…Namine…"

She swiftly spun around, her eyes becoming painfully wide as they set their sight on the person.

"Xemnas…." She whispered out, her body trembling in alarm from seeing the man; or was she shaking in anger instead?

"I see that you have stumbled upon my old friend." He spoke, standing his ground with his hands behind his back and hood placed down.

"Friend?" She looked over to the armor beside her, "Wait, you know who this person is? Then, you might know about that other one who looks like Roxas, don't you?" She questioned, waiting for him to answer her.

He remained aloof to her question, "I would rather you lower your voice, after all; this is the room of awakening. You might disturb my friend's sleep."

"Where's Roxas?" She asked with a tremendous and dangerous tone, "You tell me what you've done with him." Her eyes became glazed with tears over mentioning about the boy, remembering her last encounter with him.

"Judging from your appearance, I say the reunion you had with him wasn't pleasant. I'm quite sorry to see that. But…I cannot tell you where he is." He grimly spoke, his lips moving slowly with every word he spoke.

"Please, take me with you!" She shouted all of a sudden, not even caring for the armor that was beside her.

"I'm afraid now will be a terrible time to do that." He said, gazing down at the disembodiment figure-shaped armor.

Namine followed his gaze, "This is what you've been hiding. This is part of your secret experiment, isn't it? Even after all those years." She glared at him, moving forward as to block his path.

"Indeed. But I'm afraid we must cut our meeting short." He vanished in front of her, appearing behind her and next to the armor in a flash. He already began opening up a portal to make his leave.

Namine quickly lashed herself to him, "No! You're not leaving! Not until you explain to me over what's going on! You take me to Roxas…. right…. NOW!"

She struggled to keep a hold of his arm as he pushed her off, causing the poor girl to fall back to the ground.

"I'm afraid I can't grant your wishes, for I really didn't expect to see you here; I guess your abilities are evolving faster as we speak." He cast a spell over the broken armor and keyblade, making them float in midair as he transferred them through the portal, "I shall take my friend now."

Namine laid where she was crying in deep devastation. She slowly tried to pick herself back up, but her body fought back to bring her down to the ground. She looked up to discover that her legs were already halfway gone.

"No, not now…" She murmured, not believing her lack of fortune.

"It would seem like time is nearing." Xemnas calmly spoke, the pieces of rusty armor and keyblade fazing through the portal and vanishing.

Namine hissed as she tried to hold onto her legs, pain shooting through her body as she felt something consuming her.

"Namine, you truly are the missing piece. Until next we meet." Xemnas said, already fazing himself into the threshold of the abyss and vanishing in a poof of smoke.

"WAIT!" Namine cried out, not being able to go after him because of her condition.

"Please…. wait…. take me to…. Roxas…" She whined, finding her world begin to fade as she lost consciousness, her body becoming limp against the cold floor. In seconds later though, a warm light engulfed Namine's body, transferring her back to the surface above.

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Roxas closed the door behind him, never deciding to look back. He took a great amount of effort to control his harsh breathings, finding what he discovered from Larxene to be completely deluding him. He didn't know how to feel, and for now; all he wanted to do was to go back to his room and rest. Somehow though, a part of him hoped to dream about that girl; but he blocked it out, proving that it was serving itself as a hindrance to his goal.

Whatever it may be.

He began to pursue to his room, finding the night in The World That Never Was to be endless. He calmly took his pace down the hall, but as he went further down to get to his room he started to feel a presence of someone following him.

Roxas looked around in the shadows, remembering he had his hood down. He placed it back on quickly, but not too hasty as to look nervous. He began to pick up his pace though, feeling the shadow of the person drawing nearer to him.

Just when he could feel the person's breathing at the back of his neck, Roxas spun around with great force, drawing his keyblade the Oblivion. He had picked up momentum from the powerful swing, but he gasped in alarm to find that there was no one there.

He glared at the huge empty space of the isolated hallway, deciding to turn back around. But once he turned, he was a little shocked to say the least to see Marxeus blocking his path only a few feet away. Roxas looked at the passive man, who only glowered at the teenage boy.

"So, this is who has been following me since I left Larxene's room." He refined smoothly, a grin slowly rising, "I guess that means you see me as en enemy, huh; big guy?"

The man made no reply, using his great massive arms to smash his fists together, creating a loud 'boom' like sound to echo across the area. His muscles seemed to ripple underneath his suit, making the coat stretch and rip in certain places. He had a vein popping in his head, showing his tremendous strength growing as he drew it in. When he was done, he looked at Roxas with a vicious manifestation.

"Impressive." Roxas said, actually not sounding all that excited, "Tell me, are you trying to compensate for something?" The man gave no reply as usual, letting out a growl as he charged at Roxas with rapid speed, swinging a fearsome punch at the blonde's head.

Roxas managed to dodge the assault by jumping a few feet back. He grinned, finding his hood coming down, "A man with no words, I think I'm going to enjoy this fight."

And with that, both Nobodies came at each other, both looking for the other's annihilation.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Man, I really didn't expect this chapter to be this long. Oh well, I guess it just means more happiness for you guys to read. Expect the next chapter hopefully soon, because I need to take care of things in the 'real world'. See you guys later, and do please leave a review! You guys had made me so happy from your reviews from the last chapter! Keep them coming, for I shall not disappoint you! ;D"

Preview For Next Time

_"I'm heading to Destiny Island…"_

_"She was the one who we found…"_

_"Seems like they're coming…"_

_"Just one more left…"_

Namine: "Roxas isn't here right now, but I'm here to ask if you can leave a review please –smiles-."


	26. Closing in on the Darkness

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "Okay, this chapter took me awhile longer than I wanted to. It was hard to place things down when I already have the sequel running through my head. Also, I had to look up on some more news on Kingdom Hearts before updating. Now that I have, here's another update to my faithful reviewers! By the way, we're almost near the end to this story; yes, sad I know. But there will be special thanks credits to all who supported and reviewed at the end. Once that is done, we all can jump to the sequel! ;D"

Chapter 26 Closing In On the Darkness

Sora sailed into space inside his Gummi Ship, staring off into the blaring lights on the panel. He had finished his task in unlocking the keyhole to darkness at Olympics Coliseum; but once again, at a terrible cost. Hercules was taken by force from three members from the Organization; considering he was the strongest man that ever existed.

Sora had made it there a few moments too late, discovering the attack had already taken place before his arrival. The people who came to take Hercules's heart were Minx, Lexaeus, and Hexer, the three of them managing to take the almighty Hercules down.

Sora was defeated once again, but this time he felt no pain, maybe because he had expected it as much. He unlocked the keyhole to darkness without a second thought when arriving there. He glowered the entire time, taking an oath upon himself to get back the hearts that were taken. He didn't know how, he just would.

He said no words to Meg or Phil, the both of them not wanting to believe that Hercules was actually gone. Pegasus became downcast, sliding his pure white wings against the floor without any liveliness as he once had. They were mute and adrift, the Gods from the heavens drumming thunderous roars of lighting from the dark swollen sky. Sora had felt empathy towards their feelings, knowing the many sacrifices that had taken place for the last few months.

He bid his farewells to them, taking off into space inside his Gummi Ship. He achieved what needed to be done and swallowing down his aching heart.

While sitting there in the pilot seat with a blank slate, Sora soon heard the signal message go off with a loud beeping sound. He pressed the button to pass the call through.

"Sora?" It was King Mickey.

"Yes, your majesty?" He spoke with an unwavering and deadpan tone.

"…" King Mickey was silent, his brain already making predictions to what happened, "Judging from your tone, I could guess what transpired."

He took a deep breath, "We're all done with the worlds we were assigned to. All that is left is a few more."

"So, who's going where?" Sora asked, his body responding by moving forward in his seat.

"I'm heading back to Radiant Garden with Kairi and Goofy; I'll be meeting them there. Riku already took haste in going to Deep Jungle with Donald. I think the only worlds that are really left are Destiny Island, Neverland, Traverse Town, and Twilight Town. After that, the barrier to the Organization's stronghold will be broken." He said fiercely, trying to spark some reaction out of Sora.

"I'm heading to Destiny Island…" Sora clarified with great force, his voice almost struggling to get through his vocal cords.

"Alright, I just wanted to settle that." Mickey spoke, "We can settle the other worlds that are left when you get back to Radiant Garden after unlocking the keyhole to darkness in Destiny Island." He then cut the signal; it was all he said. Sora knew Mickey only called for business over their progress, nothing else.

He knew they couldn't reflect over the feelings that were locked up in their hearts. It will only prove futile to even try, knowing they had to keep the light in their hearts' strong from the growing darkness they were unleashing.

Sora calmly closed his eyes, letting out a heave of air from his contracting lungs. He took hold of the wheel, pressing a call forward to Destiny Island.

He remembered he and the others telling Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus how a radio will be at Riku's house whenever they needed to contact each other.

He waited for a while, until finally, Wakka's voice came through the intercom, "Hula, Budda! It's been awhile, ya?"

Sora smiled from hearing his old friend's voice, a forced grin appearing on his features, "Hey, Wakka! It's been awhile…it's nice to hear you…"

Wakka was quiet for a moment, letting out a troubled sigh, "Budda, judging from ya tone, I say things haven't been kind out yonder. Can't say we been having any luck either."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, becoming concerned for their safety. He didn't know what he'll do if the others back at Destiny Island were in trouble.

Wakka was interrupted in explaining the situation when Tidus's young scruff voice came through, "There's this big looking keyhole thing that's been hanging over the island where we used to play. Do you know anything about it, Sora?"

"Yeah, I know about it. It's the reason why I'm coming back to the islands." He spoke, his childish face becoming maturely.

"Really!?" Selphie announced excitedly, pushing Tidus and Wakka away from the radio so she could speak, "When!?"

"Soon; I'll explain over what's been going on when I get there...see you guys soon." The three other teens said their goodbyes and explained to Sora how they'll see him soon.

He cut off the radio, taking the wheel and accelerated the ship to his next destination. He had to hurry back over to Destiny Island, not wanting to take any chances in losing his friends.

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Namine moaned, feeling someone shake her body lightly. She didn't remember what happened, but everything came back to her little by little: The secret lab down below, the voice, the empty armor, Xemnas, Roxas…

The voice whispered with concern, but with ease, "Namine, please; wake up." Namine jumped wide-awake, her memories causing fresh warm tears to fall down her face.

She blinked a few times, adjusting her soar eyes to her surroundings. She had noticed some people around her, causing her to be detached over what was going on. All she had in her mind was her encounter with Xemnas, his refusal to take her to see Roxas causing her to whimper softly.

"Hey, are you okay? The fairies came to get me as soon as possible!" Namine discovered the voice to be Yuffie's. The ninja girl hunched over and checked for any transparency or injuries on the ill looking blonde.

"She was the one who we found!" Rikku exclaimed, her and the other girls watching Namine with an anxious look.

Jiminy was also there, his body perched over on Yuffie's shoulder. He had many questions running through his mind to ask Namine, but he knew the girl seemed too flummoxed to say anything.

Namine embraced herself as if she was cold, "Where am I? I…" She couldn't make sense to everything, Yuffie assisting her up from the floor.

"Come on, missy. Let's get you back to Merlin's place." She had said, slowly taking baby steps with the frail girl.

They were still inside the lab, Namine's body being found unconscious on the floor where she was last seen from Jiminy and the Gullwings.

She continued to produce sobs out of her body, her body shaking each step she took. Her legs felt like jelly, remembering how they were almost vanishing before she fainted. She limped forward, Yuffie supporting her with an arm behind her neck while the other around her slim waist.

They escaped through Ansem's old research facility, making their way down the rocky paths that led to the town. Namine kept weeping the whole way, her pain being to indescribable to explain how it felt. Her body felt so light, but heavy at the same time; it felt like she was paralyzed to even move. But nothing compared worse to her mental shock and heart that ached for Roxas. Finding Xemnas, and losing her chance once again to get Roxas back brought her mind to become in disarray.

Just when they reached the entrance to the gates of Radiant Garden's town, they saw Mickey and the others arriving.

"They were quick…" Yuffie explained softly, shocked to see them all arrive so quickly.

"Namine!" It was Kairi who shouted the girl's name, running over to the girl with panic, "Are you alright? What happened?" Fear grasped the princess's heart, her face etched with helplessness and distraught.

The blonde remained silent, shaking her head as she tried to make sense to what was going on. She had so many things racing through her mind, the ambiance to the mysterious voice echoing inside her head.

"Please…I just want to lay down." She managed to speak, but own barely.

Mickey had kept his distance from the girl, spotting Jiminy make his way to him as the others helped Namine to get inside the small house that belonged to Merlin.

"Jiminy, what happened?" He asked, his tone serious and to the point.

"Well, everything had happened according to what Namine had asked for. She went to the lab as she requested, but before we could follow her any further, she had vanished in a flash of light!" He exclaimed, the king's expression becoming bleak.

"You need to tell me everything you remembered." Jiminy nodded, the little cricket giving out his report.

He gave details over everything that had happened in a matter of a day to the king. Mickey's face became grim over the information that was bestowed on him, memories of his Master's words about Namine coming back to him.

The light that kept showing itself from the girl's body was a bothersome mystery to solve indeed. Maybe Namine's birth was unusual; it had been stated many times in Ansem's reports that her existence was out of the ordinary.

True, it's been established that she was Kairi's nobody, but one must not forget; she was also born through Sora as well.

As Jiminy continued on, he soon mentioned how it seemed like something was calling out to Namine. This sort of information caught the king's attention right away, causing him to decide that he needed to discuss with Namine over some things.

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Roxas jumped across, Marxeus hitting the pillar he was in front of and shattering it to million of pieces with his raging fist. The young keyblade bearer cussed under his breath, finding the man's strength to be tough and unbreakable.

He cast some spells at the man, fusing thundaga and blizzaga to create a force of magic with an unbalance chemistry of power. The combine magic created a mountainous fissure out of the ground, destroying the area and pinning Marxeus up into the air.

Roxas jumped onto the mountain made element he created, running at full force at the trapped gorilla size man. Before he could make a strike at him, Marxeus raised a powerful hit with his unfrozen legs, breaking the electrical surge of ice. The kick almost hit Roxas in the face, startling the boy to fall backwards and slide down the cracking surface.

He brought his keyblade the Oblivion out, piercing it onto the melting and breaking surface. He managed to stop his fall, but he was punched across the room when Marxeus struck a hit to the unsuspecting boy's face.

Roxas let out a groan and collided his back into a pillar, falling down to a heap of thin water from the destroyed electrical ice. He felt tingles go through his body, the traces of thundaga hitting points across his body. He quickly picked himself up, avoiding the shock from causing any further damages to his weary body.

He huffed, glaring over at the man who pumped his chest up as if he was ready for whatever Roxas had to throw at him. He was large and powerful, but Roxas had the upper hand when it came to his agility and stamina.

Roxas vanished with quick speed, reappearing himself behind the alarmed man. With one swift swing, he struck his keyblades to the man's back, casting a beam of dark energy at the back of his skull. This sort of attack caused the man to fall flat on his face to the floor.

Roxas landed to the floor, approaching the still form with little caution. He inspected the body, finding Marxeus to be motionless. When he got closer, a large hand suddenly engulfed his ankle. Roxas winced in pain from the overpowering squeeze, his ankle being crushed painfully.

He was lifted into the air, his body being hang upside down as Marxeus got up slowly from the floor. The man smirked at the growling blonde, flinging him across the hallway with great might.

Roxas slithered across the floor, hitting the ground with great impact. He regained his composure by flipping over, gaining back his footing. He glided back at Marxeus, his eyes blazing with fire with his keyblades crossed and ready to hit.

Marxeus pulled a fist back in anticipation, hitting the keyblades when they made contact to his large fist. A sound echoed across the hallway, a loud clank and breaking of strings reflecting off the keyblades as they were struck from Marxeus's fists.

The man managed to knock off the Oblivion out of Roxas's hand, landing a punch into the boy's gut. Roxas coughed and splattered blood out of his mouth, his face contorting with deplorable pain. The blood dripped down his chin, Marxeus sending an uppercut right at his face.

The thirteenth member was flung across the room, his body left stationary on the white glistening floor. Marxeus was slowly approaching him, his face left stoic as he kicked the boy across the room.

How anyone cannot hear this entire racket was beyond Roxas's caliber.

The boy smirked crookedly, wiping the blood off his chin as he stood up with the help of his keyblades.

He had summoned both back into his hands, "Come on you piece of shit!" He spitted some of the copper tasting liquid out of his mouth, "You can't be done with me yet!"

Marxeus grew agitated from Roxas's over-confidence, charging at the boy like a mammoth on a rampage. He shook the area, his muscles growing as he stomped his way at the stagnant boy.

Roxas remained where he was, taking a deep sigh and preparing for the man's assault. As he heard the echoing of the man's steps coming towards him like thunder, memories of a girl flashed through his closed shaking eyes. It was at this moment that his eyes shot open, revealing the upcoming punch. He pulled his body back, the punch missing his head by an inch.

Roxas used his quick reflexes at this time, docking under the Marxeus's body and using his keyblades to hit the center of his abdomen. With all his might, Roxas used his arms to bring up the man's body, flipping him over in midair. When he succeeded in his tactic, he pulled around and kicked the man squarely in the chest.

Marxeus grunted from the impact, his body becoming thrown back. Roxas took this moment to dash ahead, never giving him the chances to recover.

He hit him with his keyblades, slashing him back and forth as he teleported in incredible velocity. The man's body jumped in multiple places, the indiscernible strikes slashing his entire body and coat into shambles, blood scattering across the area.

With one more hit from his back, he went airborne and spotted Roxas's figure above him. The menacing look he received from the boy was terrifying, his yellow eyes smoldering with desire to kill. He felt no fear though for his defeat and demise, finding the emotion to be useless to a Nobody.

Roxas stared down at the man, pulling his arm back to form blue energy into his hand. He attached his glowing hand right into Marxeus's face, bringing the man down hard into the ground. Such an impact caused a small crater at the back of the large man's skull, breaking the ground with a small-created fissure. Roxas used all his energy through his arm to bring the man down, blasting the dark-blue ray right into his face.

Marxeus's face crumbled, his flesh becoming burned and buried. Blood splattered over Roxas's hand and face, staining his coat like paint. He lifted his hand off the man's face, wincing in disgust over the mess and disfiguration.

He got up, black smoke already beginning to rise from the dead corpse of the silent man. Roxas shook his blood-covered hand, trying to get most of the red wine liquid off.

He spoke, relieving a disappointed sigh, "Too bad, out of the new recruits; I liked you the best." The smoke fully vaporized his body out of existence, leaving only a crack on the ground with a small pool of blood, "You never had to shut the fuck up…"

"Roxas…"

The boy's eyes widened, the voice catching him off guard. He turned and spotted Saix, Minx, Hexer, and Lexaeus, the four of them appearing without any detection.

Lexaeus had a sullen look on his face like always, the other three staring at the broken floor. He had a body over his shoulder, Roxas recognizing the still form to be Hercules himself.

"Look, he attacked me. So I don't give a _fuck_ what you make out of this…" He quietly, but sternly spoke. He wasn't going to act like Marxeus was the victim when he had attacked him.

Minx glared at him, "You killed him! You son of a bitch!" She took out her bow, preparing to shoot an arrow at Roxas's chest.

Saix though had summoned his sharp-edged weapon, pressing the blade around Minx's neck. His own yellow eyes burned in anticipation, his voice low but dangerous, "I would think wisely before making any rash movement, Minx; or you'll find yourself back to the darkness from my hands."

The girl hissed, sweat pouring down from her pink hair as the blade made slight contact against her neck. She nodded, the blade being withdrawn from her throat, her brother Hexer grabbing her body as she almost fainted from the threat.

"We need Roxas, for he is more valuable than Marxeus own existence." Saix coldly remarked, his appearance going back to his usual calm demeanor. He turned to Lexaeus who nodded in understanding.

"Roxas, you must come with me." Lexaeus spoke, walking towards the boy, "We must take the heart in Vexen's room." Roxas's eyes traveled to Lexaeus broad shoulder, staring at Hercules's limp form.

"Fine, let's go then." He stoically stated, pulling his hood up and following after number five without any hesitation.

Minx mind couldn't resist speaking over the smooth outcome of Marxeus's death. She growled angrily at Saix, "You're just going to let him go!?" She shouted, her loud voice making up her small appearance.

"It would be wise to lower your voice." Saix quietly spoke, taking a few steps to the ruined area. He then turned to Minx and Hexer, "Clean up this mess before the Superior sees it."

She gave a flabbergasted look from the order, but her brother nodded in obedience.

"Do as I say." Saix spoke once more, making his way down the hall.

Minx grumbled angrily, she and her brother doing as they were told with the help of their Nobodies from their personal element squad.

While that, Saix went to go see the arrival of Xemnas's return, needing to summon _The Freeshooter _as well for his welcoming back.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Sora landed the Gummi ship by the Shore of Destiny Island. He pressed a button to open the lid to the cockpit, jumping out with no trouble. He saw Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus running to him, their sandaled feet mashing and galloping across the wet sand.

They skidded at a halt when they reached him, looking up at the landed Gummi ship then back at the keyblade hero.

"Sora, you going have to fill a Budda in over what's been going on." Wakka referred to the dark sky that was overhead.

Sora looked up at the firmament, coming up with a theory that it was related to the keyholes of darkness. It was only going to be worse too once he unlocked the one in his world.

"I'll fill you in while you show me where this keyhole is at." They nodded, the three of them finding Sora's tone and expression to be something different from his usual ordinary and happy nature. They could tell by just looking at him that the past recent events must have changed his outlook drastically from the period of time he had been gone.

"It's not too far from here, it's just around the island." Selphie called out, the winds picking up the tides of the waves to shatter further onto the shoreline.

They made their way to the other side of the island, Sora giving every detail possible over the situation.

They crossed over the sands, climbing up the different proportions of hills. They opened the little hut door that led to the other side of the island underneath the waterfall that was connected to the stream above the high mountains. The other side of the island didn't look all that different, but it had its own personal gym area where the kids had created when they were young. Sora could see that ruined raft that he, Kairi, and Riku had created so long ago, its purpose long forgotten. The small looking boat was left in shambles, the drifting water causing it to creek from the withered and damaged wood.

They passed through the coconut trees, Sora soon spotting the keyhole. It was large and foreboding, the source of wind drawing into it. Darkness was seeping out of it like black smoke, Sora's keyblade flashing into his hand without any impulse from him. He looked down at his keyblade strangely, wondering if the keyhole to darkness was calling for it to unlock its darkness upon his home world.

"I can't believe Roxas would do such a thing, but it sounds so romantic…" Selphie replied disconsolately.

Her mind had drifted away, along with Wakka and Tidus's when Sora had explained to them about everything that had been going on.

"Yeah, but the jerk forgot about Namine! Can't believe he would stoop so low." Tidus groused, lacing his arms together across his chest.

"Budda, he has his reasons, ya? Surely you know that too, Sora?" Wakka asked the boy with hopes of reassurance. Sora's back aligned like an arrow, gazing up at the keyhole and gripping his keyblade tightly.

He didn't say anything about his nobody half, his eyes becoming glossy over the broken bond between them. He didn't know if he was teary because of the dust, or because of what had became of Roxas.

His cloths bellowed from the breeze's strong haul, almost like it was trying to suck them up to the darkness above them.

"I tried…" He finally spoke, his keyblade shaking from his trembling hand.

The three islanders took full consideration at the boy, finding his voice to be distant and a little unnerving.

Sora turned to his friends, his hair and cloths swaying roughly with the wind, "I tried to make everything right, but all I do in the end is keep failing everyone who I care about." He looked up at the keyhole, "I don't even know how I'm still capable of still holding this damn thing." He looked down at his keyblade, a sudden urge to throw it away.

"You kept a promise, didn't you?" Selphie suddenly spoke, enlightening the boys to look back at her.

The girl actually had a small smile on her face, "Sora, you always follow your heart for your friends. I knew you long enough to know that you always keep your promises. You made one to Roxas and Namine, didn't you? Just like you did with Kairi."

Tidus nodded knowing that Sora needed to hear this, "Selphie's right." He sternly said, looking up at the fretful keyblade bearer, "From what you explained to us, you're only doing what you need to do in order to save the worlds. Of course; you lost many friends by keeping such a responsibility, but you still need to keep being strong for the friends inside your heart."

"Come on, Budda. We can handle ourselves, ya!" Wakka chirped up happily, knowing that Sora was only worried about their safety. They knew the danger of unlocking the keyhole to darkness, its influence having the chance in calling forth hordes of heartless upon their world.

"You guys…" Sora whispered with a sob, some snot dripping down his nose.

"You know us; we're strong enough to take care of any creepy heartless that might evade our home. We won't ever let that happen twice you know!" Tidus proudly proclaimed, causing tears to slowly cascade down Sora's chin.

He quickly swiped the tears away, sniffling and grinding his teeth together to stop them from coming.

He then remembered the oath he had made to himself. He didn't know how long his journey was going to be, but he will bring the people who were dear to him back. He looked up at Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, the three of them giving him proud thumbs up.

He beamed at them, finding comfort in their words. Even if he was to lose any more of his friends, he will still have them in _his _heart.

Sora nodded with determination and a wide grin, picking up his keyblade and placing it onto his shoulder, "I'll give it my all!" He smiled them, rubbing the base of his nose with his finger with slight embarrassment.

They nodded, the four of them gazing up at the keyhole with no fear. They knew that whatever happened, there would always be a light in their hearts to conquer the darkness.

Sora walked up to the keyhole until he was underneath it, standing his ground as the others watched him with awe.

The wind began to pick as the whole area began to shift, the darkness creating a tornado around Sora. He could smell salt coming from the sea, little twigs and branches spinning madly around him. The keyblade shook in his hand, summoning him to grab the handle securely with both.

He lifted the blade up, the swirling vortex of the wind encircling the blade as a dark light shot like a beam into the core of the dark keyhole. Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus had blocked their sight from the event, finding sand getting into their eyes.

When the beam was consumed into the keyhole, Sora slumped his arms and keyblade down to the patted ground. He felt it become heavy in his grasp, but he paid no mind to it, picking the keyblade right back up.

The four teens looked up at the keyhole, expecting the hole with wondering interest. Darkness began to sneak out like poison gas, going into their lungs and gripping their hearts to its sinister pressure.

However, it wasn't long until the sensation faded away, and the keyhole's presence gone without a trace.

"There, it's done." Sora heaved with heavy sighs, appreciating the Gods that no battle had taken place from unlocking the keyhole.

"So, that's it? Doesn't seem that bad." Tidus stated calmly, but he spoke too soon when they heard Selphie let out a terrible shriek.

The three boys turned to the girl, spotting a heartless that was gripping her legs. It looked liked it was trying to pull her down into the dark pool that was underneath her.

Selphie let out cry as her dress began to rip from the creature's sharp claws. Tidus charged at it, bringing forth his red staff to attack it. He whacked the thing on the head, but the heartless was left immune from the strike.

Selphie fell to the ground, another heartless grabbing for her arms, "Help me!!!" She cried out, tears forming at the edge of her terrified green eyes.

"Selphie, hold on!" Sora tried to save her, but he was stopped when a neoshadow heartless came to life before his path.

Many more began to spawn as he readied his keyblade for battle, grinding his teeth together as more heartless emerged from the realm of darkness.

"I'll send you guys back to the hellhole you came from!" Sora shouted, already slashing them one by one.

Selphie let out another wail, feeling the heartless rip away at her skin, opening and shedding blood from the girl's body. They were desperately trying to find her juicy and pumping heart, their minds not making any sense where it was inside her body. They decided to just tear deeply into her flesh until they found it.

Wakka hit the heartless with his blitzball, causing them to be stunned. This gave Tidus the advantage to grab Selphie and pull her from the heartless's grasp.

"Tidus, get Selphie out of here!" Wakka shouted, finding the boy to be trembling as Selphie's blood marked itself all over his cloths and hands.

"TIDUS!" Wakka shouted once more, snapping the boy out of his distress, "You need to go and help Selphie! I'll help Sora get rid of these fiends!"

The boy nodded, tears appearing at the brim of his face as he ran off with Selphie's limp body in his arms. He could hear the girl whimper from her cuts, warm tears coming down at the side of her face. She tried to ignore the pain, wincing as she bounced a bit in Tidus's arms.

Wakka smiled, but it soon disappeared when he saw heartless make their way towards the two he considered as siblings. He growled, pulling his arm back to make multiple strikes on the monsters by bouncing the ball between the trees.

They all turned to him, the ball returning to his hands, "You want a heart? You got one right here." He snidely twirled his blitzball on one finger, the heartless coming at him with corrupted rage and hunger to consume his heart.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Namine rested herself on the bed, her mind not thinking much of anything. She gazed down at the mud colored wall, finding it to be an escape from her mind. She even refused to sleep, not wanting to dream about things that made no sense to her. She began hearing voices through her head because of this, finding them to be mixed with broken words.

She whined, trying her best to block out the voices by digging her head into the pillow. She then turned her body to look up at the ceiling, trying to find someway to ignore what was going on with her. She placed a hand to her chest, feeling something inside that was causing her body to become weak. Whatever that light was, it was definitely triggered by somebody else rather than her. It felt like darkness was being consumed into her, making her existence succumb to being nothing more than an empty shell.

She wondered if it was a result of Roxas losing his memories; the thought bringing forth tears that she quickly swiped away. No one had cared to remember her besides Roxas in the end; but what point was it to exist when the person she cherished most held no memories of her.

But…. despite over everything…

"I exist to remember him. As long as I remember Roxas for who he is, he won't disappear." She closed her eyes, folding her hands on her chest, "In the end, that's all I really want…"

Namine soon heard a voice, _"Namine, things aren't looking too good."_ Surprisingly, it wasn't the mysterious voice that had been haunting her for the passed few hours.

"Xion?" The girl questioned, speaking the name aloud in a low whisper, sitting upright on the bed, "Is that you?"

"_It is; Xemnas's plans are closing in. He will soon be able to release Kingdom Hearts!"_

"Wait, are you referring to the armor he took?" She asked again quietly, not wanting the others to hear from outside the room.

"_I feared this would happen. I don't think any of us can stop it at this point…"_

"Please wait!" Namine begged, finding the girl's thoughts to be too unfocused on the danger.

"_Namine, you must focus your 'heart' onto Roxas to remember...!"_

"I've tried already! I couldn't get through to him!" She muttered miserably, clutching her white dress in her hands on her lap.

"_You must try! Only you can break free through his darkness with the light you hold!"_

Xion was quiet for a moment.

"_But when that happens, Xemnas's plans will be complete. By releasing that light Namine, you will become…"_

Namine shouted, finding the girl's voice to be fading, "Xion! Wait!" But she couldn't sense the girl anymore, finding her voice and presence fading back into the abyss.

She clutched a fist to her chest, 'Release the light in my heart to him…' She deflated her body, 'If it's the only way for him to be the Roxas I remember…I would gladly do it.' Even if Xion was warning her the danger of committing such an act, Namine confirmed her decision.

Not too long, the angelic looking girl heard a soft knock on her door, "Namine?"

"You can come in, Kairi." The princess to Radiant Garden opened the door to the room, Mickey and Minnie close behind her.

She became wry over their company, anxiety overcoming her.

"Namine, how are you feeling?" Kairi asked, giving the girl a sweet smile and a soft pat on her lap.

"I feel a little better now." She confirmed, adjusting herself on the bed to more comfortable.

"Namine, can you tell us what happened?" Minnie Mouse asked carefully, being sure not to pressure the girl.

She was left with no choice but to share her thoughts, but refusing to mention anything that might cause too much of a stir.

"I saw Xemnas." There, she straight out said it.

Mickey was surprisingly calm about it, "What happened when you saw him?"

She bit down on her tongue and fiddled with her fingers, "I…I…can't really remember much…"

"Namine." Mickey said her name sternly, Minnie placing a hand over his to calm him. She knew they were in critical times and needed as much information as possible to stop Xemnas.

Namine looked over to Kairi who held onto her shoulders for support, "It's okay, Namine." She soothed the girl with her words, giving her a smile.

"Well…" She shook her head, trying to get rid of bad memories from her encounter with the man, "I remember seeing him get something, it seemed important to him."

"What was it?" Mickey asked, giving the girl a concentrated look.

"I couldn't really tell what it was." She half lied, not wanting the others to know the whole truth, "It was too difficult to see."

"That is most unfortunate." Minnie had clarified sadly, looking down at the floor.

"Namine, what had you talked to Xemnas about?" Though Kairi had a clear mind what it was.

"That should be obvious." The girl spoke soullessly, her eyes empty and hollow to shed any more tears than she already had.

Everyone became quiet, not knowing what other words to say next. Mickey though needed to get thinks straight out of Namine, in order to fully enclose their trust in each other.

He looked over to Minnie and Kairi, "Kairi, Minnie honey, I know you came to check on how Namine was doing; but I need to speak with her over something important."

Both females only nodded, not giving any questions to him as they made their way back to the door. Kairi gave one last look to her counterpart, sadly giving her a broken smile of sympathy before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Mickey turned to the girl, "Namine, are you sure you're not lying to me?" He said it without any vigor, just simply calm and discreet.

She remained silent, but spoke up, "I…"

"It's okay."

She looked up at Mickey with astonishment and relevance, finding a caring smile on his face.

"I understand that you have your own secrets and thoughts. Believe me, I contain many thing locked inside my own heart from the others; as do most of us here." He was referring to the many times when he and the others had made their own decisions by following what truly was in their hearts.

"But…" She looked downcast, remembering Xion's words. Mickey stared at the girl, wondering over what she was going to say.

"How can I take follow my heart when I'm nothing but a Nobody…" She sighed wretchedly, "I don't have a heart!" She finally refined, bowing the top of her body forward as if she was trying to shield herself in her own invisible shell.

He became silent from the comment, but then gave a comforting smile, "Golly Namine, you do have a heart." She looked up at him, creasing her brows in uncertainty.

"You do what you do, because of Roxas; don't you?" Her eyes widened from his words, tears silently coming down.

When she noticed the wet substance on her cheeks, she tried to block them from his sight with her hair.

"Thank you…" She whimpered out, not knowing the full extent to what he meant from his words; but it was enough to make her own designation to what it meant.

She wiped the tears away, not wanting to seem weak. Such raw emotions as pain and love was really taking its toll on her; being a Nobody made it alien to her. And yet, when she was with Roxas, they all seemed so real and clear to show.

"Namine…"

She took her attention back on the keyblade wielding mouse, finding he had more to say to her.

"I had a talk with Jiminy, he was there when you had vanished." She knew where this was going and she didn't need to act ignorant to pretend that she didn't.

"He mentioned to me how there was a light that came from your body."

"I don't much about it about myself." She answered right away.

"I know you wouldn't; that light still remains a mystery to all of us. I just need a confirmation if the light truly came from you or not." He asked, making her know he was being sober over the topic.

"Yes, but I just don't know why."

Mickey placed his hands on his hip, before giving his chin a massage over his running thoughts. He soon took out a piece of paper out of his pocket, remembering how Jiminy had collected all the reports left by Ansem the Wise. There was one in particular that regarded to the anonymity of Namine's existence and birth.

'I wonder if this will give me some type of clue.' He questioned to himself, his eyes running along the short entry with little focus.

"Where's Sora and Riku?" Namine finally asked, finding they were missing out of the group who returned.

"They're doing some errands for us in unlocking keyholes in other worlds. They'll be back soon." He replied, still expecting the papers in his hands. Namine ignored them, finding it to be his own business, never knowing that the written format had theories and hypothesis about her.

"You seem to be doing the missions rather quickly."

"In order to stop the Organization and to enter their world; we must not waste any time."

"What are you planning next?"

He looked up at her this time, placing the papers back inside his large pockets, "We only have about four worlds left that are near by that we can use to unlock the seal around The World That Never Was. We don't need anymore than that." He flicked his tail back and forth, "I'm hoping you can go to Neverland with Sora."

She nodded in conformity, "That's fine; I don't mind going."

"So, you found what you were looking for?" She only nodded, bowing her head in deep contemplation.

"Well then, that's good to hear. I will be requesting Kairi, Goofy, and Donald to head to Traverse Town. As for Riku, he will be accompanying me in finding The World That Never Was. We may not be able to enter the world's domain, but with the darkness spreading, it should be detectable to find. We'll be leaving Twilight Town for last; in case there may be a passageway there like last time." He spoke all at once, laying out his strategy, "I'll be leaving with Riku admittedly when he returns."

"Hopefully…" She went silent to gather her thoughts for a moment, "…Everything will go back to the way it was…" She placed her hands over her chest as she gave a silent prayer, "…And hopefully, I can get Roxas back as well…" She spoke slowly and bearably, Mickey Mouse sharing the same set of sentiments.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Roxas felt nothing as he stabbed his keyblade, the Oathkeeper, into the chest of the once and mighty Hercules. Lexaeus held the man down, finding he was gaining consciousness and soon regaining back his augment strength.

The sandy blonde haired boy held no emotion, his once pure white Oathkeeper becoming covered in blood. The blood left from when he killed off Marxeus remaining smudged on his coat and hands.

Lexaeus simply dropped the body of the overgrown muscle man, finding the deed to be done as his body began to perish. Roxas took the heart out of the blunt edge of his keyblade, darkness consuming the heart with his tainted path of power.

He handed it to Lexaeus, "I'm sure Vexen would be needing this for Kingdom Hearts." His gold eyes pierced the man, showing no type of reaction over what he had done.

The brawny man nodded, his face still containing his usual expression. He took the heart out of Roxas's hand, gripping it tightly with a firm squeeze. He turned around to make his leave, meeting Zexion who was entering the area. They minimally nodded at each other, not really paying attention to the others' task.

When Lexaeus was far from where they were, Zexion decided to speak to Roxas; "The Superior wants to see you, along with Xigbar and Saix."

"And what are you? The guy who's to hold my hand there?" He asked exasperatingly, his brow quirked in speculation and his tone dripping with cynicism.

Zexion glared at him, "Listen to me, boy. I will not tolerate your rude behavior any further. You shall commence to the orders you have been given. Or do I…"

"You bore me, let's just go." Roxas firmly responded, stepping back and withdrawing his keyblades as they disappeared into black sprinkles of dusts.

He walked pass the literature loving man, Zexion sighing with a half-heartedly grin, "Charming as always."

He opened his Lexicon book, beginning to read a page out of the large and sensitive binding tome. He led Roxas the way, seeing as the thirteenth member was waiting for him. He bothered not fighting the boy over his disrespect towards him, never being fond of battles.

They walked through the numerous paths that were constructed in the Castle That Never was; Roxas containing many memories locked away over his previous stay in the castle. He ignored the burning sensation in his head, finding only memories over Sora and the others; though broken and disabled as they were. Was the darkness truly the cause for him to lose sight over his memories; or was it something else that caused him to not remember the sad looking girl? All he knew was that each time he tried to piece something together, it slipped away; leaving him to fear the unbearable tenderness that was behind it all.

He shook his head, finding Zexion to be glancing over at him with an examining look. He glared at the man, making him turn around and take concentration on the road ahead of them.

They passed the steps over Twilight View, the balcony being a short travel to the next upper level inside the castle. Roxas spotted Kingdom Hearts in the distant, it's pale moonlight glow enchanting him. It swallowed the hearts they offered to it; Vexen slowly feeding the large heart-shaped moon with more exceeding hearts.

After passing many sections inside the castle, they finally reached the most scared area within the fort, the _'Altar of Naught'_. Roxas was surprised for being brought there, finding it to be rare. He had expected the meeting with Xemnas, Xigbar, and Saix in the '_Where Nothing Gathers' _room, a place where they usually schedule their meetings.

"You have arrived." Flashbacks pored into Roxas from those words, looking up to see the man who had discovered him from his birth.

Xigbar and Saix stood by Xemnas, as they should, for they were one of his top men.

"Are we going to be here long?" He asked, showing them he wanted to make this meeting short as possible.

Xemnas shook his head slowly, turning to Zexion, "You may leave, Zexion. You are no longer required." He gave a short bow from the demand, taking his leave by entering through a dark portal.

When he was gone, Roxas squinted his eyes as he spotted something behind Xemnas. He couldn't distinguish what it was, darkness covering the object from view; little did he know, what truly lied underneath it. He felt something nostalgic coming from the huddled lump of darkness, but he ignored it.

"I have brought you here Roxas to grant you my appreciation over what you have done." Xemnas turned to Kingdom Hearts, marveling it with open arms, "This has all been your doing."

Roxas looked up at Kingdom Hearts, the joints in his body becoming pulled by an unsettling thread. Something felt out of place to him, like something wasn't right, but still; he couldn't make it out what it could be, so the feeling was left alone.

"Soon, we will have our Kingdom Hearts completed." Saix spoke, becoming impressed over their progress, "It won't be long now."

"We'll be able to retrieve and control our own hearts." Xigbar grinned with pride at Roxas, "And it's all thanks to you, little dude."

Roxas simply graveled at the man, not liking his suave and crude comment; finding them somehow to be unreliable and deceitful.

The patched eye man smirked, chuckling lightly, "Hehehe…that same damn look…" No one heard his comment, which he was grateful for that. He never could forget a face like that from a past that could never be erased, even as a Nobody.

"How much more do we need?" Roxas asked, their comments making him wonder what was left to do.

"We simply need a few more hearts. After that, Kingdom Hearts shall have its true form." Xemnas spoke cunningly, his eyes lighting up at the thought of rejoicing with his Kingdom Hearts.

"It would seem though that we have a problem." Saix approached the topic thoroughly, Xemnas and Xigbar already knowing what he was referring to.

"Are you talking about Sora and the others?" Roxas asked, finding his past meetings with Sora and the others always dealing with some type of quest from their end.

"Indeed." Xemnas complied, "It would seem they are opening the keyholes to darkness in order to enter our realm of nothingness."

"Seems like they're coming." He heard Xigbar said, pulling his attention away from the conversation soon after.

"What do you suppose we do about it?"

"Nothing." Xemnas evenly remarked, slurring his words elegantly, "They pose no real threat to us."

"But when the time comes. We will need your services for the final act in completing Kingdom Hearts, Roxas." Saix caused the spiky haired teen to look at him with inquisitiveness, his words making him seem perplexed.

"I thought all I needed was to collect hearts? With that, I could finally get my own desires and answers." He soon quickly thought to himself, 'Whatever the hell they may be.'

"And it is, but in order to reach our goal, there are certain requirements only you can do for _our _Kingdom Hearts." He quickly gave away to what he meant, "The keyblade."

Roxas flashed the weapons in his hands, the three oldest members looking at the weapon with fascination.

'He truly has potential to hold powers like _them_.' Xigbar verified, reliving memories from the past, 'What's more remarkable is how he's able to wield two.'

"Truly a splendid weapon to our Kingdom Hearts." Xemnas spoke with an isolated tone.

"So, what is it that I exactly have to do?"

"In due time Roxas, all shall be revealed." The leader to the Organization grinned at the boy, finding everything to be according to plan. He soon turned around and flicked his arm out to vanish the object that was covered in darkness; letting it remain a mystery to those around him. Xigbar though, had his own significances and insinuative guesses to what it could be.

Xemnas turned back at Roxas, "You may go. The main reason I had called you here was to show you the progression over what you have done for the Organization; as well as your future objectives that will be in full detail, in due time."

Roxas nodded, finding no other words to share with the men in front of him. He placed his keyblades away, opening a portal for him to enter back to his room without the hassle in walking there. When he entered the dark domain, he caught notice that Xemnas hadn't mentioned anything about Marxeus. He turned to the man, the expression on his face vocalizing his question.

Xemnas had read his mind, "There is no need for punishment over what you have done. So set your mind at rest."

With that easing his mind, Roxas teleported back to his room.

It was quiet for a moment between the three men that held golden eyes; Saix being the first to cut the silence, "It doesn't matter if we lost any of the new members. They just serve merely as pawns."

"Agreed, I can afford their sacrifices. It doesn't cause any severe damages to our plans." Xemnas crossed his hands behind his back.

Xigbar stretched his arms above his head, "All we need now is our last missing piece."

"Affirmative, once we collected our final item, Roxas shall be able to share the darkness he has created." Saix closed his eyes, finding irony, "And all it took, was one little girl whose existence has meant nothing more than to be used from the start."

"Truly, something I had not planned; but will surely gain much from it." Xemnas spoke with low triumph.

Saix and Xigbar soon took their leave, evacuating back to their own rooms.

With his arms stretched out with admiration to his creation, Xemnas muttered with satisfaction, "Soon…just one more left…"

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Sora hit the neoshadow heartless directly with the blunt edge of his keyblade. He continued to help Wakka up to higher grounds, retreating from the swarming number of heartless. They were hoping to enter the passageway that would lead them to the other side of the island.

Wakka jumped onto the top surface, giving a whirl of his ball before striking it down upon the rushing heartless.

Sora grabbed onto the boy after his ball came back to him like a boomerang, "Wakka, you go through first! I can handle these guys." He went in front of the orange haired boy, shoving his keyblade down to the ground.

"Sora…!"

"This is goodbye for now." He said suddenly, turning to his friend and giving him an encouraging smile, "Make sure Selphie gets treatment. I'll see you guys soon."

"Trying to act all cool, ya?" But somehow, Wakka only grinned back, "Alright, Budda; I let you handle what you need to do…but you better come back alive, ya?

"YA, BUDDA!" Sora grinned childishly, mimicking Wakka's terms of words with victory.

The young blitzball player nodded and entered inside the doorway that led to the other side.

Sora made sure he was cleared away, soon taking his attention back on the reaping heartless.

"Selphie…Wakka…Tidus…thanks…" He brought his keyblade up, calling forth energy from within his heart, his friends giving him the courage to fight.

"Time to show you guys the truth strength inside my heart." He jumped up, a surge of light coming forth and transforming his outfit to his most dramatic drive, Limit Form.

Sora landed to the ground, sheathing his body with his keyblade, "Come on, bastards. Try to take my heart." And with that, they all charged, finding the aroma of his heart to be twice as enticing.

They attacked only to fail though, the birth of Sora's new form vanquishing them in one fleeting swoop of his keyblade. The blade shimmered and shined with sleek steel metal, Sora containing more leverage and abilities to fight in his Limit Form.

He used Sonic Blade against the smaller heartless, striking left to right with amazing rapture and speed. They were slaughtered into puffs of black smoke, Sora flipping himself into the air to avoid the larger heartless. He missed getting hit from their deadly talons of deadly poisonous vapors, giving him the opportunity to admittedly do a new technique in his new form.

He right away performed _Hurricane Period_ against the pure blood heartless, rotating the keyblade to a 360-degree wide vertical angle. The attack took a severe blow on the heartless, but he wasn't done yet. With a smooth swoop and careful steps, Sora was able to send some heartless aerial. He bounced up, letting his keyblade strike against the heartless; but soon, others began to surround him in midair.

He grinned slowly under the masking of his front hair, letting himself fall back. He reeled his keyblade back, throwing it and executing the heartless with Strike Raid. He threw the weapon hastily, silencing each heartless back into the abyss.

Once the keyblade came back into his awaiting hands, Sora released a finishing move. He used _Ripple Drive_ to cut the heartless down, the attack proving futile for them to avoid. He sliced and diced each one, the dark creatures dispersing into bubbles of darkness as they cleared away.

When he got rid of them all, he landed skillfully to the ground. He slowly turned around though; spotting a massive fat heartless shifting it's way to him.

Sora peered up at the ravenous fiend, placing his keyblade roughly onto the back of his shoulders with little fear.

Just when the Heartless was about to bring a fist down into the hero's head, Sora activated Zantetsuken. With one powerful thrusting pierce, he sliced the heartless in half; not even giving it a chance to squeal or to move any further.

The heartless melted down, a dark pool-forming underneath its body. Sora struck his keyblade down at the mass of black liquid, causing it to shrivel and run dry into the sand.

With a heaving sigh, Sora's Limit form shattered away, returning him back to his usual black, red, and yellow attire.

He looked up the dark sky, finding it to still be ominous and gloomy. Although he wanted to check-up on Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus, he knew he had to hurry back to Radiant Garden and report back to King Mickey. If anything, he'll give them a call from Riku's house where the radio was to the Gummi ships; it was his only option to ease his heart gracefully. He only prayed that Selphie's injuries weren't harsh to leave any scars behind on her young skin.

He was just glad though that the Organization hadn't arrived to steal any of his friends' hearts. But that's what caused him to become nervous; the fact that they didn't even bother to come to his home world to collect a heart bothering him.

Sora headed his way to his Gummi Ship, needing to act fast, "They probably got all the hearts they need. We can't afford to waste anymore time…" He austerely put on a brave facade, keeping that shimmer of light strong before the darkness could swallow it up in its shadows.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Omg, I finished! This chapter was remarkably long! I finally have a load off, but that still doesn't mean that the next chapter isn't too far off! I estimated the total chapters we have left, and I say we have about 8 chapters left guys; WE'RE ALMOST THERE! It has been a long journey, nearly four years since I've began this fic, and we're almost to the finishing line. But like I said, this story is far from over; after all, there is a sequel in store XD! Once again, thanks for the awesome reviews, they mean a lot! Like I said before, there will be special thanks to all who supported me through this tough road in writing this. If it weren't for you guys to make my love for Namixas strong, I wouldn't know where this fanfic would be. Anyway, keep reading and keep being awesome supporters to _'The Way You Remember Me'_."

Namine: "Until the next update everyone; hugs and kisses for all from us!"

Roxas: "Wow, so much fighting in this chapter. Go ahead and leave a review after reading, we'll gladly accept them."


	27. Captured in the Abyss

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…."

Kiome-Yasha: "I hope I'm not late in updating this. Sorry guys, been busy with my life by working on my internship. So it took away my time in updating this chapter. And I must agree with you Gar, my writing has gotten bad. I just seem out of the loop, but I hope this chapter makes up some mistakes I've been leaving. Anyway, here's another update to my faithful reviewers and supporters; you guys ROCK!"

Chapter 27 Captured in the Abyss

Riku and Donald sailed across the deep border of space, having left Deep Jungle not too long ago. They made it through the world without encountering anyone from the Organization, unlocking the keyhole to darkness with ease. Riku didn't bother in befriending anyone in Deep Jungle, finding the keyhole to darkness being his top priority. However, he did share his warnings to them on the darkness he released from the keyhole.

Donald looked over at Riku, finding his silence to be unsettling, "Riku?"

The silver-haired teen looked over at the magician duck, "What is it, Donald?"

"Shouldn't we report to the King that we're on our way? He might have some updated plans to tell us." He nodded in agreement.

He clicked some buttons on the intercom, sending a message to King Mickey at Radiant Garden. After a few moments of buzzing static, the message flicked on, "Riku?" Mickey picked up, his tone sounding serious.

"You're majesty, we completed our assignment. We were wondering if you have any further orders to tell us?"

"No, just report back to Radiant Garden; that is all I need you to do. When you return Riku, there are important matters that we need to discuss."

The wielder to the "_Way of Dawn_" nodded in confirmation, "Understood."

"Riku?" Mickey spoke tersely, "By any chance, did you encounter anyone from the Organization?"

He shook his head and replied, "No, we didn't. The mission went smoothly without any harassment from them."

"Then it would seem like time is running out. Please notify Sora right away, I'll be waiting for you all back at Merlin's place." Riku finished his conversation with the king, cutting their transmission.

At that moment, he decided to relay the message to Sora. It didn't take long for him to pick up, "Riku, is that you?"

"Yeah. Sora, have you finished what you were assigned to do?"

"Yeah, I've finished unlocking the keyhole in Destiny Island." Riku became silent, taking a nervous gulp, "So, are the others…?"

"They're fine. I made sure of that." Riku heaved and released a relieving sigh. It was rather refreshing news, considering their usual bad luck.

"Selphie got hurt though, but I believe she'll be fine. She's our friend after all." Sora sounded confident in his words, making Riku and Donald smile that he seemed almost back to his old self.

"What worlds are left?" Donald asked, sensing they were almost near in breaking through 'The World The Never Was'.

"I think we only have a few left." Riku answered, remembering the reason why he called Sora in the first place, "Sora, I called to let you know that his majesty wants us to hurry and return back to Radiant Garden."

"Gotcha, I'll meet you there then." He was about to cut himself off, but Riku quickly asked, "Sora, did you run into the Organization while you were at Destiny Island by any chance? I know you mentioned how Selphie got hurt, so…"

"No, they didn't come. We were attacked by heartless instead."

"Then we really do need to hurry. I'll see you back at Merlin's place."

"Alright, see you there." They ended the transmission, Riku taking the wheel and already making his way to Radiant Garden.

"Donald, make sure to buckle up. I'm going turbo." The mage nodded, making sure he was secured.

Riku pressed into the ignition, sending the Gummi ship into ultra drive. They sped by the stars, making the white dots look like blurry white lines in their visions'. Riku had a fixed look of determination on his face, making his way to Radiant Garden as quick as possible.

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Roxas lay completely still in his bed, looking up at the grey-shaded ceiling with little interest. He sat himself up, his room glowing from the light outside. He sighed and turned his attention to the window, his eyes staring deeply at the illuminating Kingdom Hearts.

He rolled himself off his bed and walked up to the large window. He gently placed his gloved hands on the unbreakable glass, feeling the warmth of the floating hearts penetrate through his flesh. He shivered from the feeling, the heat becoming familiar to him. He tried to make sense of it, but couldn't. It wasn't long until the girl with pale blonde hair and body came to invade his thoughts.

Her voice kept haunting him, making him cringe into submission. She was like a splinter that he couldn't get out, and it was annoying him. She seemed to come and go in his mind; each time that she did though, she was quickly forgotten.

He had sweat pouring down his face, his fingers gripping the glass and making it squeak.

Just then, he heard someone knock on his door. He turned swiftly and shook the distress he had on his face.

"Who is it?" He asked, his voice sounding like he had marbles in his mouth.

"It's me, Larxene. Open up, will ya?" He promptly made his way to the door, opening it and revealing Larxene, Hexer, and Minx on the other side.

"What is it?" He grumbled, not pleased in seeing the other two Nobodies.

"Xemnas has assigned a new mission for you. He requests that you leave admittedly, the three of us will be accompanying you." Roxas idly ruffled the back of his hair from the order, feeling exhausted and disoriented.

However, he nodded from the demand, "Understood."

"But first…you have to extract another heart before leaving." Hexer spoke aloud, making everyone turn to him.

"Marluxia had captured another heart for us to take. You are to remove the heart in order for Kingdom Hearts to absorb it." He earnestly declared, making Larxene glare at him.

She had hoped to avoid the subject, knowing the condition Roxas was putting himself in.

"Alright then, I'll do that right away." He quietly stated, his voice cautiously low.

Minx nodded, crossing her small arms across her chest, "We'll be waiting for you by the entrance of the castle. So make this quick, Blondie!" She huffed and began to walk away, Hexer following after her.

"Heartless assholes, they really are Nobodies with no hearts." Larxene growled angrily, clenching her hands until sparks came to life.

"Just like us, so it doesn't matter." Roxas dignified, already placing his hood up and closing the door behind him.

Larxene was perplexed from his callous words, remaining speechless. She didn't think he would sink so low in the darkness to think like that.

"Is that what you really believe?" She asked, his words being something she would say.

"I do, so it's pointless to fight it." He spoke coolly, "Where would the heart be?"

She placed her hip out, "Where do you think? Vexen's lab in his room, of course!" She snidely spoke, her face contorting to frustration.

"I'll meet you at the entrance when I'm done." He began making his way down the hall.

"Wait!" Larxene called out, making him halt and turn around, "What is it?"

"The world we are assigned to go to is Neverland. I thought you should know…" There was more she wanted to say, like the reason why he was losing his memories of Namine; she decided to go against telling him though.

He only nodded from the added information, continuing his path towards Vexen's personal lab.

Larxene sighed petulantly, "This really blows…" She left the white hall through a dark vortex she created, her mind running with her own objectives.

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Namine mindlessly played with Pluto, playing fetch with the orange-colored dog. She was perched on a hill that was nearby the village, Pluto coming to cheer her up. He had a stick in his mouth at the time, edging Namine's hand with his wet snout. The girl giggled from his playfulness, taking the stick out of his mouth and throwing it across the dried up reservoir.

Pluto barked loudly, chasing after the stick with great speed and galloping with glee. Namine smiled, finding it hard not to laugh at the cheerful dog.

It wasn't long until she heard someone call her name from behind, "Namine?"

She turned her head and spotted her other self. Kairi gave her a comforting smile before fixing her dress and sitting next to the Nobody girl.

She pulled out something she was hiding behind her back, revealing it to be Namine's sketchbook. She also pulled out some color-pencils, handing them over to the stunned girl. Namine took the brown leather binding and wooden utensils, absorbing her belongings as they brought back memories.

"I brought these for you. I was hoping they could help in someway to make you feel better." She simply spoke, spotting Pluto from the corner of her eye.

Pluto returned over to the girls, Kairi pulling out the stick in his mouth. Namine was busy studying the art materials Kairi had brought for her, not knowing what to draw as she turned to a clean page.

Kairi pulled her arm back and threw the piece of branch out into the distant, making sure it wasn't too far. Pluto once again backed aloud, giving chase to find the stick and to bring it back.

The two girls sat in silence, Namine staring blankly at the white sheet. Kairi sighed, becoming slightly dissatisfied to what the girl was doing.

She placed a hand to her hip, "Namine, why aren't you drawing anything?" The girl gripped a yellow pencil tightly, her face frowning with deep concentration.

She then shortly spoke, "I can't put anything down. I usually do, but now…" She gave a sad and small chuckle.

Kairi looked at the girl with sorrow, "Namine…" She tried to think of something to say, motioning her body back and forth where she sat, "With everything that's happened lately, it's understandable to have your mind all bottled up."

The word 'bottled' made her mind recall up some memories, "You know…" Namine looked at the girl, catching her words to be vital.

"When I had forgotten Sora, I didn't know how to reach him from where I was. I tried and I tried to think of something, but I couldn't; and that's when writing a letter came to my mind."

Namine slightly remembered the event, her eyes staring at Kairi with awe, "I wrote that letter, writing down all my locked up feelings for him inside a poem. I cast it out into the ocean inside a bottle. Somehow, I knew he would get it, and that someday; our hearts will be connected again."

Namine slowly took her attention back onto the blank paper, marveling the clean sheet with admiration from the girl's words.

"And that goofball did get it!" Kairi rowdily announced; her eyes glowing as she looked up at the sky with happiness.

"You two are part of each other lives, the papou fruit signifies that." Namine spoke, remembering the drawings inside the cave.

Kairi caught notice of her words and peculiarly looked at the girl, "True, but it's more than that." Namine snapped up at her, "Sora and I love each other, I knew that even before we shared a papou fruit."

She went silent for a moment, "The same goes for you and Roxas, Namine."

The blonde became silent and gazed down at the sketchbook with a dejected expression, "If only I could reach him…" Xion's words soon repeated themselves back inside her head, making her grip the edge of her sketchbook.

"Well, why don't you draw something for him…. so he can know…how you truly feel…inside your heart…" Kairi broke down her words slowly, hoping for them to be helpful to the girl.

Just then, Pluto came running back to them, the stick filled with his slobbering saliva.

"Oh, Pluto!" Kairi giggled over the mess he made when she took the stick out of his mouth.

She turned to Namine, beaming at the girl, "I'll head back to the village with Pluto. We'll leave you alone so you can think of something to draw." Namine nodded from the suggestion, Kairi calling Pluto over to her.

Namine stared after them, turning back to the sketchbook when she couldn't seem them anymore. Kairi's guidance made her think of Roxas, her mind beginning to speculate on what to engrave on the empty page.

She soon had a small smile appear on her face, "I think I know what to do…" She picked up some of her pencils, switching back and forth between them as she drew.

She took her time in drawing her feelings down, making sure everything was flawless. She made sure that the drawing was able to convey all her emotions down; she wanted to make sure it would reach Roxas's heart.

For no matter where either of them was, they would always be connected to each other's hearts.

She erased some mistakes, quickly adjusting the lines to her liking. She didn't know how long she was sitting there, but she didn't care. She let her hands flow along with the pencils, lightly filling in the white spaces with different colors. Her smile bloomed, memories of when she met Roxas and their time together filling her insides until she felt complete.

She soon finished her doodle, picking the sketchbook up and turning it to different angles to inspect it. She placed it down on her lap and felt satisfied to her creation, the illustration being simple, but strong from the heart.

"I should be getting back." Namine concurred, closing the sketchbook and picking herself off the earth.

She held onto the pencils all in one hand, her other hand holding the sketchbook up to her chest. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind pass by her with gentle strokes, "Roxas…"

She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky, "I don't know how, but I just know…" She gripped the sketchbook, "…. You'll find this…"

She turned herself around, her gaze still set up to the sky. But it wasn't long until she fully turned herself around and began to maker her way back to Merlin's house. She decided to hide her drawing in the meantime from the others, finding it to only be set for one person's eyes.

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Axel paced back and forth inside the '_Dream of Awakening'_, the place inside Namine's dreams.

The red-haired man was standing on the stain-glass designed tower, images of Roxas and the people who were close to him painted on the surface.

He was trying his best to think of a way in helping Namine get Roxas back, his best friend becoming pressured into the darkness. He looked down at the painting under his feet, finding the once brilliant colors begin to fade into a darker shade of gray. He knew things looked bleak and gloomy, but he continued to have faith that Namine would get his friend back to the way he was.

It was then that Axel felt a cold and strong breeze swept by him, making him seek comfort in his attribute. He looked around and tried to figure out where the draft may have come from. His eyes grew wide when he saw a dark figure in the distant. What really made him become shocked though was how the figure looked unerringly like Roxas.

The person was away from the platform station, lifting his head up to Axel, "In order to get back what he has lost, he must lose the one that is dear to him."

"What…?" Axel became more scandalized at the fact that the person's voice was similar to Roxas's as well, "Who are you!?" He shouted, now becoming anxious, "Is that you, Roxas!?"

The person just shook his head, "I am…" His body began to fade with the wind, almost like a ghost.

"Hey, wait you bastard! I'm not done asking questions!" Axel's shouts bounced back to him with demoralizing echoes, the person already gone just as quickly as he appeared.

"Just who the hell was that?" He asked, not liking the looks of things.

He sat himself upon the floor, scratching the back of his head, "Dammit…" He felt utterly useless, the darkness closing in on him with unwelcoming thoughts.

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Roxas entered Vexen's room, finding him and Marluxia inside. They were hovering over their new captured prisoner, studying and testing the will of his heart.

"Seems we got ourselves another lion's heart here, but an actual lion." Marluxia spoke cunningly with a deep voice, making his appearance seem misleading to those who didn't know him.

"Is this who I'm suppose to kill?" Roxas spoke, hoping they heard him, "I have no time to waste."

Vexen turned to him, his right eye twitching chronically, "That's right; you were assigned on a new mission. The Superior would not like you to waste anymore time." He looked over to Marluxia with a glaring look, never forgetting his insolence towards him in Castle Oblivion, "Marluxia, show your eternal obedience to the Superior by putting the animal down. Wouldn't want you to break the Superior's trust again, now do we?"

The man known to carry the number eleven as his rank, only grinned from the scowling look he received from the mad professor. He exposed his scythe, the weapon appearing in a burst of bloodstained roses, "But of course, we wouldn't want that."

He walked towards the lion heir known as Simba, the large feline struggling to get up; in order to defend itself. It growled at the approaching man, remembering the inflicting pain he received from his unusual blade. He was cornered against the wall; the multiple cuts and bruises on his body opening up, causing blood to stain his golden fur even further. He was a bloody mess, whining from the pain.

Roxas actually felt pity for the animal, wincing slightly as Marluxia struck the feline down into submission. Simba limply fell, not finding any strength to lift his body back up.

"He's a tough one." Marluxia chuckled subtly, "Long live the king…"

At that moment, Roxas pulled out his keyblade the Oathkeeper. He found the once pure blade to be stained with red; it wasn't much, but the smudges were enough to taunt him.

Roxas staggered over to the groaning lion, looking deeply into his own ember eyes that reflected his. The lion seemed to recognize his face to be similar to Sora's, becoming curious over their connection to each other.

He didn't think much of it though, Roxas ending the mammal's life by piercing his chest. Simba had let out a roar inside the room, the cry being loud enough for the whole residences inside the castle to hear. Roxas grimaced from the sound, twisting his blade inside to silence the burgundy-haired lion. He knew the deed was finished, Simba's body crashing to the floor and already beginning to fade into the abyss.

Memories of his father's death flashed before Simba's eyes, causing the lion to slip one tear down his whiskers and fur. Roxas noticed the prolonging tear, feeling the void inside him concave from the sight of it.

"Well done." Vexen complimented, feeling pleased to have another heart in their collection.

Roxas disregarded the man next to him, pulling his keyblade out and causing dark blood to squirt out from the lion's chest. He had the heart appear before him, floating into his hands and imprisoning it in his darkness.

The heart pulsated slowly, the dark vapors from the venomous shade suffocating the appendage. Roxas swore he could have felt every emotion soaring into him from Simba's departed heart. He hurriedly gave the thing over to Vexen, not wanting anything to do with it.

"This is just marvelous!" The mad scientist announced gleefully, rotating the heart between his hands with esteem.

"I take it I'm done here?" Roxas asked, wanting to return what he was originally assigned to do.

"Yes, you may go." Vexen made his way to his desk, placing the heart on a bloody silver tray.

"I'll take you to the entrance." Marluxia spoke, finding nothing particular to do at the moment.

"That's unnecessary." Roxas impassively spoke, creating his own opening portal of darkness.

Marluxia passively shrugged, putting his weapon away without any care. Roxas walked through the portal, taking his leave inside the murky whirlpool.

Marluxia decided to make his own leave, finding Vexen to be engrossed in his assignment. He deeply spoke when he closed the door behind him, "I guess I shall go see what the Superior wanted."

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Namine entered the soft and tranquil village, making her way through the opening pavement to Merlin's cabin. She held onto her sketchbook protectively, not wanting to spoil or ruin it from her surroundings. She was caught off guard when she heard someone call out her name.

"Namine!"

She looked up in revelation to find the person to be Sora, "Sora? You're back!" She ran over to the boy who met her halfway.

"Hey!" He beamed at her with a smile, but then became downcast, "Namine, I…"

"It's ok, I forgive you for keeping Roxas a secret from me. I know you had good intentions in doing so." She smiled at the boy, putting a hand to his cheek and lifting his face to meet her eyes.

Sora knew that when he would see Namine again, reminiscences from that time when she broke down in front of him would come back to haunt him. He didn't know how to approach her since that day, but he was glad to know that she still had faith in him; after all, he was her first friend.

They both smiled at each other, revealing their bond to be like siblings.

"Sora! Namine!" They both turned over to spot Riku waving at them, King Mickey's short stature standing right next to him.

Sora looked over at Namine, "We should go." He noticed the sketchbook in her hand, becoming curious about it; but he decided to just lead her back over to Riku and the king.

She spoke steadily to him as they walked over, "I'm glad to see that you came back safely, Sora; you and Riku."

He grinned back at her, "Of course!" He proudly exclaimed, "I won't let anything get the better of me! Just think how bad I would look if Kairi knew I was beaten up so easily?" He asked benignly, reaching the others by the entrance to Merlin's home.

"The others are waiting for us inside." Riku explained to Namine, letting her know they were fully ready to begin their meeting.

They all nodded, Mickey opening the door to the small cottage, "Let's begin then." He spoke softly, finding Minnie patiently waiting for him inside.

"Your majesty, you wanted to discuss with us about something important?" Yuffie asked, wanting to get everything underway already.

He nodded, "I want to make this short as possible, for time is not on our side." He looked around the room to inspect everyone was there, "We may be close in unlocking the keyholes to darkness, but they also provide a threat to the worlds. This is why it's essential for us to make haste in what we are doing."

"What in blazes do we have to do?" Cid asked gruffly, toying with the toothpick between his mashing teeth.

"You just worry in protecting this world from any who may cause it harm." Mickey clarified, "The others and I we'll be handling the rest."

"Your majesty, what are we going to do?" Riku curtly asked.

"Riku, you and I are to find the world where the Organization is hiding. With all the keyholes we unlocked, the barrier they had created should be weak enough for us to discover where they are." He looked over to Kairi, "Kairi, I need you, Donald, and Goofy to head for Traverse Town. It's one of the last locations we need to unlock." He soon turned to Sora and Namine as the last group, "Sora, you and Namine we'll be heading to Neverland. Namine, I had already discuss this with you."

She nodded firmly from his words, Sora also possessing the same acknowledgement.

"I'm sure you also remembered what I said about Twilight Town." The young witch nodded, "Yeah, in case we can't enter their world; there may be one in Twilight Town from the old mansion."

"Yes, it will be our back up plan." He confirmed to them, "Is everyone clear over what they need to do?" He asked, wanting to embark as soon as possible.

Everyone nodded, all of them saying 'Yes, your majesty' in unison.

He beamed at them, his large ears twitching in excitement, "Alright then pals, let's get moving!"

Sora and the others headed out the door, saying their farewells to their friends in Radiant Garden.

"I can't believe how fast this is becoming; seems like we really can't afford to waste any time." Kairi asked, closing her hands together as she felt overwhelmed.

Sora placed his hands between hers, feeling the tenderness of her touch against his, "You just make sure to be safe, Kairi. I wish I could come with you to protect you."

The princess giggled, giving Sora a soft kiss on the lips, "You just worry about protecting Namine; she needs you more than I do." She gave a perky smile, "Besides, I can take care of myself. I wield a keyblade too, you know."

"Yeah, that's what worries me." He chuckled when she gave a light punch to his arm.

Namine smiled at the couple, but her face soon became crestfallen.

"Is there something wrong, Namine?" Riku seemed to notice the girl's distress.

She shook her head negatively, "It's nothing. I just feel sorry that Sora is busy protecting me when he wants to protect Kairi."

"It's nothing like that." Riku assured the girl, "True, I bet Sora does want to stay by Kairi's side, but he also needs to make sure to protect his friends as well. It's just the type of guy he is."

"Riku…?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think I drew Roxas away?" He knew what she meant by that question; being someone who had sought power from the darkness before, he understood Roxas more than anyone.

Riku's long bangs shadowed over his sea green eyes, "Believe me when I say this, Namine." The girl looked at him with a hesitant look, "Roxas may have forgotten who you were, but it's because he feared in the truth. He doesn't want to lose you, and because of that, he let the darkness consume him. The same thing happened to me when I wanted to save Kairi. I let my own weakness get the better of me, causing me to lose those who were important to me because of my own selfish actions."

He released a sigh, bringing his head up to smile at the girl, "So, just don't lose hope on him. You have to be his light to balance out his darkness."

She felt touched from Riku's words, her eyes sparkling from the upcoming moist. She nodded assertively with a smile, "I will; thank you, Riku."

The older teen nodded with a friendly smile, glad to be of assistance. It was then that Namine remembered how close the boy had become to Xion; guilt overcoming her heart over how it had ended between the two. She shook the memory away though, not wanting to cloud herself with penitence over what happened.

Namine turned to King Mickey, finding his highness biding farewells to his wife, "I'll be back before you know it, Minnie. Make sure to keep yourself safe with the others."

Minnie butted the tip of her nose against Mickey's, "You just make sure to come back to me unharmed, Mickey Mouse." The king nodded with a grin, "Golly Minnie, don't worry; I will."

"Um, your highness?" Donald spoke up to Minnie, "Can you make sure to let Daisy know that I love her?"

"Of course, Donald. I'll make sure to let your uncle and nephews to know you are safe as well."

"You can give them a call through the radio in Merlin's lab, your highness." Cid told the Queen, tipping his goggles upward.

"Thank you, Cid." She smiled up at the man with a pleasing look.

Mickey then spoke up among the group, "Alright everyone, we'll be heading out now!" He chuckled when he received some goodbye 'kisses' from Pluto, "Pluto! Down boy!"

Everyone got onboard his or her own Gummi Ships. Riku and Mickey deciding to be in their own ships for their mission.

Minnie and the others waved at them from outside, "Be careful, everyone!" She yelled out to them, already becoming concern for their wellbeing.

"Don't worry, your majesty! We'll be fine!" Sora humbly saluted to the Queen, giving her his trademark grins.

"I say, you have nothing to worry about, Queen Minnie. I'm sure they can handle themselves; they always manage to do so." Merlin spoke to assure the Queen, adjusting his small and round glasses.

"I hope you're right, Merlin." The Queen replied, waving back to the others again as their ships lifted off the earth, "Come back to me soon, Mickey…" The said mouse winked at her from inside his ship, giving her the thumbs up.

Jiminy held tightly onto Aerith's shoulder as the blowing engine of each Gummi ship swept by them. Their hair and clothing bellowed from the strong current of wind, narrowing their eyes to shield away the uplifting dusts of pebbles.

Each Gummi Ship ascended up to the sky, Sora sending a message out to Donald and Goofy, "Goofy, Donald; look after Kairi for me." He could hear the girl sigh in disbelief, but soon giggled as Donald gave a reply, "You can count on us, Sora."

"You just do the same with Namine!" Kairi retorted.

He smiled contently, "We'll do."

Mickey soon patched through, "You fellas go do what you were assigned to do; but keep your guard up in case of any trouble!"

"Yes Sire!" They all declared.

Sora pulled the stirring wheel back, watching the others from below one last time before sending the ship up to the sky. He saw Mickey and the others escape through the hemisphere of Radiant Garden. He spotted the glittering stars through the clear screen that surrounded the cockpit. He could see the darkness coming out like mist from inside the endless space, causing him to feel tense.

He bit down on his bottom lip, fabricating a look of resilience, "Ready Namine?" The girl nodded, finding some resolve through Sora, "Yes."

He smirked from her answer, "We'll get Roxas back, I promise." Even if Sora never broke a promise, Namine still couldn't help but to feel like it was her own oath to take than his.

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Roxas made it to the entrance, finding Larxene and others to be waiting for him tolerantly; though more so on Larxene than the other two.

"FINALLY! You take forever!" Minx vulgarly proclaimed, huffing and puffing the whole time.

"Hey, why don't you calm that little mini-thong of yours from sinking up your dirty crotch?" Larxene uncouthly replied, making Minx turn red in fury.

Roxas sighed in annoyance, "Definitely something I did not want to hear."

"Minx, calm down. You shouldn't let her get to you." Hexer tried to reason with his sister, not liking an idea of starting a fight when they had a mission to take care of.

The _Gazing Straight Arrow_ glared at the _Savage Nymph_, building up some vent up frustration before growling menacingly, "Fine! Let's just fucking leave already!" She sure had a dirty mouth for a little girl.

She opened a portal right away, running inside the realm of darkness. Hexer sighed from her retreat, but followed right after his adolescent sister.

Larxene grumbled, "Damn little annoying bitch." She sighed, motioning her arms in aggravation, "Let's go, runt." She notified Roxas, entering through the portal without a second thought.

Roxas stood where he was for a few moments, his mind going back to the most recent heart he took. He began to wonder who his next victim would be, deciding to ask Larxene when they reach Neverland. He entered the gateway, the passageway depleting into nothing more than an illusion.

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Mickey scouted the opening surfaces of space, hoping to detect any instability of darkness lurking around. He patched a call to Riku, his ship following beside his, "Riku, do you sense anything?" He knew the boy had a unique nose in sensing the darkness; which was the reason why he had requested for him to come along.

"Not yet, your majesty." He was silent for a moment, "But I do sense something not too far ahead. It's faint; but I'm definitely sensing a strong aura up ahead."

"Do you think…?" Before Mickey could say another word, a black beam of light blasted his vessel, causing him to lose control.

"King Mickey!" Riku shouted through the intercom, hoping to get a response.

Mickey's head shook from the explosion, making him unconscious and paralyzed over what was going on. Riku looked ahead, spotting multiple white ships coming out from a fog of black smoke; he could see _The Castle That Never Was _inside the foreboding miasma. His eyes grew wide from the spectacle, the world being protected by a strong force of small battleships.

Riku maneuvered his ship left to right, trying to avoid combat with them as he tried to make contact with the king, "Your majesty, can you hear me!?" Beams of energy came at him, throwing him off course.

"Dammit…!" He cussed under his breath, grinding his teeth. He could see numbers of battleships closing in on the king; he tried to fight them all off. He pressed some switches and buttons, firing away manifold of bullets at the enemy's ships.

He shifted left to right in order to avoid in getting hit; but his maneuvering skills proved to be futile.

"Gah! Dammit, I'm not going to make it!"

Inside the castle, through the cloudy haze of night, Xemnas grinned with triumph, "Fools…do you honestly think I didn't expect your arrival? Now, bring me the king…" He silently ordered his constructed ships, giving out a deep chuckle of amusement.

The ships took heed to their master's demand, making haste in grabbing the unconscious king's ship. Riku grinded his teeth in frustration, becoming agitated over the situation he was under. He took hold of the controls, pressing forward and hoping to reach the king's aid in time.

He was then met with a large ship in front of him, making him gasp in alarm, "What the hell is this!?" He shouted in panic, becoming thrown away from the large craft's force of gravity.

Riku shouted out for the king one last time, finding no reply from the friendly rodent.

The large ship pushed Riku back, forcing him into combat, "Get the fuck out of my way!!!" Riku exclaimed, letting out numbers of unstoppable pellets to the monstrous ship. He growled when he discovered his attacks weren't even creating dents on the thing.

The other smaller spacecrafts circled around the stationary Gummi ship, creating a blue field to imprison it. They started to draw the ship inside _The World That Never Was_.

Riku noticed this, calling out in terror, "No! Your majesty!"

From his distraction, Riku didn't sense the hefty spaceship's destructive ray of energy coming right at him. The blast hit him with full force, sending his ship to be pummeled back.

He cried out from the hit, the controls short-circuiting themselves, sending surge of electricity through his body. He tried to shield himself from the malfunctioning breakers, feeling his body go numb from the sparks.

After everything was settled back, Riku quickly looked outside through the window. He panted uncontrollably, finding no sign of the battleships or King Mickey. He had various scar burns on his pale skin, ignoring them as he became frantic. He looked over to see the world where the Organization was, finding to entrance to the place.

He cussed under his breath over the outcome of the mission, finding no way in saving the king from his capture. He was now in the mercy of the enemy, fear-overcoming Riku over what they might do to him.

"Shit, I got to tell Sora and the others!" He hurried and tried to fix the switches and gears inside the Gummi ship, enabling him to fix everything back in order.

He quickly turned around to create a detour, the nerves inside his heart clenching tightly.

"Your majesty…."

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Let me just say this right now, I actually cried a bit in this chapter. I couldn't help but to be hurt over the fact that I killed off one of my most favorite Disney characters. Simba is also my favorite summoning; it hurts inside to know he's gone. Okay, so we're at the climax in this story; with only 7 chapters left! I bet you all are wondering how things are going to end with such little time; keep in mind though, there is a sequel that is to be taken place after this story is done. The sequel will be more jammed pack with mystery and action; and let's not forget, Namixas love. I don't have to tell you what you have to do after reading, Roxas will take it from here; just don't kill the guy for being evil."

Roxas: "Thank you for your support and wonderful reviews from last time! Please leave and share some more! Kiome-Yasha's world goes round with happiness when you do!"

Namine: "Title to the next chapter will be To Never Disappear."


	28. To Never Disappear

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "Sorry for the delay everyone! School started up again, so I was a bit busy. Also, I've been updating my other Namixas fics; if you want to check them out, you can go ahead and read them –smiles-! Anyway, last time where we left off, Mickey Mouse has been taken in by the Organization, and now, he shall be confronted by none other than Xemnas himself; so much suspense in this story. Well, let us commence to the chapter shall we?"

Chapter 28 To Never Disappear

Namine fluttered her eyes open, becoming disoriented over her surroundings. She adjusted herself in her seat; catching the glittering white stars to be the first thing she saw when she woke up. She pressed her hands upon the steel glass, feeling the coldness of space through it. She marveled the feeling; the stars slowly passing by like a wondering dream in the abyss.

She sighed comfortably, letting everything just float away from her body, allowing her to forget the suffering she had been through lately. She carefully and shyly opened her sketchbook, scanning over the drawing she drew back at Radiant Garden. She gave the image a soft smile, letting out a soft drone of contentment.

Sora heard her apparently, looking over at the girl while still stirring his way to Neverland, "Namine, are you alright?" He asked, causing the flaxen-haired girl to bang her sketchbook shut.

She whipped her face to him, her hair flowing onto her right shoulder, "Yes, I was just thinking…"

"About Roxas?" He asked utterly, finding her silence to be a signal that he spoke out of term, "Sorry, I didn't mean…"

She placed a hand on his, "I'm fine, Sora." She put her sketchbook away behind her compartment seat, taking her attention back on him to speak, "The truth only makes me more determine to get him back, even if I have to risk everything."

He felt weak from her words, looking down at his lap, "I'm sorry, Namine. I failed to get him back for you." She shook her head at him, disagreeing with his words, "You're a true friend, Sora." She wanted to mention how he was her first friend, but she left the past at Castle Oblivion to be nothing more than just forgotten memories, "I'm honestly grateful for all you have done for me." She cheerfully answered, showing him a kind smile.

"I'll be stronger next time, I promise." He spoke gallantly, his dashing blue eyes piercing through hers.

Namine felt confident in his words, nodding at him, "I know you will, Sora. But, I don't want you to take this burden alone; we're friends, aren't we?"

He nodded, resisting the urge to become emotional in front of her, "Right!" He claimed loudly, "Next time, we'll do our best to get him back together!" He grinned playfully, "Your heart will definitely reach out to him, Namine. You're the only one who can do it!" Xion's voice seemed to escape out of his mouth when he said that to her, making the girl become discouraged over what the future might hold.

'_I wonder...will out worse fears become a reality, Roxas?'_ She looked up at the starry night sky that was around them, her mind drifting. She had the urge to cry, taking a glimpse to the possibilities that lay ahead. She only found tears of sorrow to be waiting for them beyond the light of truth. She gripped her dress tightly on her lap, not letting her dark thoughts consume her, for she held something much stronger inside to fight back against it.

She soon shook out of her deadening thoughts as Sora spoke, "I see Neverland ahead on the radar; we'll be there soon." He confirmed steadily, gripping the wheel forward.

'_Neverland…'_ Namine softly said the name of the world in her head, _'A world where you don't have to grow up, die, or disappear…' _She looked down at her hands, _'Is there such a world for us Nobodies, Roxas?'_ She looked outside the window, finding the stars outside begin to flicker,_ 'A world where we can exist and never be afraid…I'm sure that is a world that everyone wishes for in their hearts…'_

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King Mickey woke up in his cell, feeling groggy and dizzy as he was met with the purple and cold ground. He lifted his small body up, placing a white-gloved hand on his forehead to ease the headache that was there. He rubbed his temples, taking-in the environment of the room he was in. He approached the bars that kept him caged up in the cell, trying to remember everything that had happen. The only thing he could remember was getting hit by a heavy force, becoming knocked out soon after; he began to wonder if Riku was safe or was captured as well.

The thoughts to his questions were left unanswered as he heard heavy footsteps nearby, clapping against the marbled floor. He tried to look over the bars to see who the approaching person was.

He glared to discover the person to be a hooded figure of the Organization XIII. He let go of his grip on the bars, taking a few steps back and becoming cautious towards the person in front of him.

The ominous figure laughed from his guarded retreat, "It's been awhile, your majesty."

"Xehanort." He sternly confirmed the name of the person, recognizing the cavernous and monotone voice.

Xemnas placed his hood down to reveal his face to the mouse, "I would prefer the name Xemnas. I have long abandoned the name that haunts me."

"Haunts you?" Mickey questioned curiously, finding the man's aura to be sinister.

"Yes, there is so much we have forgotten, your majesty. Like for instance, the keyblade war that took place so many years ago? I'm sure you remember some things about it?" He cunningly asked the wry king, making him feel uncomfortable and lost.

"I threw away such memories to remember a long time ago. Such an incident should be forgotten." He replied honestly with a depressed look, almost like he had images running through his head that haunted his own memories.

"No, you are wrong. I will bring everything back and reveal the truth over what lies beyond the doors, among Kingdom Hearts. It is my destiny to fulfill it, to revive our hearts. Yes, with Kingdom Hearts, I shall finally obtain the utopia we have all been searching for." He became lost over his words, marveling his grand and secret scheme, "You will bear witness to such an event, for it is your sin. Being a descendant of light and wielding the keyblade is your destiny to see the birth of a new Kingdom Hearts."

"I won't allow you to get away with this! Kingdom Hearts is not only yours to have, but for everyone!" Mickey shouted at the man, but he felt powerless when he discovered that he couldn't pull out his keyblade, "What?"

Xemnas chuckled inside his throat from the king's attempt, "You're wasting energy by trying to call forth your weapon. In this realm, I have claimed power over your keyblade from being summoned to you; there's also the fact that I've placed a heavily guarded spell upon your cell."

Mickey glared at the man, "It doesn't matter. Sora and the others will stop you and save Kingdom Hearts!"

"Your majesty, if only you knew the truth about Kingdom Hearts." He was silent for a moment, raising his head up a bit to prove his advantage over the mouse, "The Kingdom Hearts that we have is nothing more than a replica; it isn't the real thing." Mickey was stunned from the news, "When Roxas finally helps me to complete our designed Kingdom Hearts, I shall use it to find the real one; the one that controls the hearts of all worlds. With that, I can finally bring back some 'old friends'."

"What are you talking about? How does Roxas plays a part in all this?" Mickey asked sternly, finding no power in persuading the man to tell him anything.

Xemnas chortled, finding amusement of how simple-minded his enemy was, "Not Roxas, your majesty; but Namine…" Mickey was appalled by the information, reacting straight away, "Namine? What does she have to do with all of this?"

"Everything." Xemnas simply answered, "Only I've been too blind to never notice her…_potential_ before. It would seem like you and the others are too blind to see it yourself. My master was right; her birth truly is special, something we can't ignore. Maybe you should look more into his reports that are inside your pockets to know what I am talking about." Mickey wondered how he would know about the reports, but ignored it as he took out the crumbled papers inside his pockets.

"Maybe reading those can give you a hint to what my true intentions are." He spoke deeply, his voice vibrating in a low tone, "As for Roxas, he's nothing more than a puppet for my charm to feed on. Now then, I shall take my leave. I hope you will enjoy your stay here until the finale." He turned to make his leave, leaving the mouse to conjecture over Ansem's reports.

Mickey only gave one last suspicious glance at the man before taking his attention on the worn and yellow notes left by his old friend. He flipped through the entries that held information on Namine, Ansem the Wise containing his own theories on the girl that remained a mystery.

_**Secret Ansem Report 9**_

_I should have expected nothing less from a Keyblade-wielding hero. _

_Sora and friends defied the machinations of Organization XIII and rescued Naminé. _

_Naminé was a witch who controlled the memories of others. _

_Most likely these powers were achieved through a special process when she was born. _

_Naminé is a Nobody, created when a young girl's heart left her body. _

_Yet she has no corresponding Heartless. _

_This is because the "young girl" in this case was a princess. _

_Kairi, a resident of Radiant Garden over which I had ruled, was one of the Seven Princesses that uphold the realm of light. _

_With no darkness in her heart, Kairi produced no Heartless, and instead of vanishing, her body remained in the realm of light. _

_In other words, both the Nobody called Naminé and the Heartless—proof of a lost heart—are extremely unstable beings who lack the bodies needed to produce a Nobody. Therefore, they also lack Kairi's memories. One reason for this maybe that Kairi's heart did not return to the darkness when separated from her body, but rather migrated to another vessel...deep within Sora's heart. _

_That is, Naminé is an alter ego of the Kairi who has directly interfered with Sora's heart. Could this be why Sora and those hearts are connected to him were able to have their memories controlled? _

_She is a "non-being" in the truest sense of the word; having not even become a Nobody and with nowhere left to go, she is but the most fleeting of shadows. _

Mickey's mind began to ramble over his deceased friend's theories and speculations, trying to connect everything that may give him the answers he needed, "She is but the most fleeting of shadows?" He reread the last part aloud; was it possible for Namine to be more than a Nobody?

He began reading over the next report on the manipulating memory witch.

_**Secret Ansem Report 10**_

_Sora went to sleep in order to recover the memories he had lost in Castle Oblivion._

_It would take quite some time to bring back all the memories he had created in his lifetime._

_But Organization XIII held sway over Castle Oblivion. Sora would need to be kept someplace more secure._

_I persuaded Naminé to move the slumbering Sora to Twilight Town for safekeeping._

_Naminé._

_As I have written before, she is a most unusual being._

_Born of the same process as a Nobody, but lacking virtually all the elements of a Nobody._

_Perhaps she continues drawing in hopes of capturing that which she lacks: the memories of others, especially Sora._

_I have arrived at a hypothesis._

_I believe that Naminé was born as a special type of Nobody when Sora attacked himself with the Keyblade, causing his and Kairi's hearts to leave their bodies simultaneously._

_Naminé emerged as Kairi's Nobody...but the body and soul necessary to exist as a Nobody belonged to Sora._

_When a person's heart is stolen, a Heartless is born with no sense of self, and the body and soul left behind give rise to a Nobody._

_But what if one willingly releases one's heart from one's body?_

_Sora and Xehanort retained their selfhood even after becoming Heartless._

_Then there are Kairi and Naminé._

_Kairi was exceptional for having had no darkness within her heart. Also exceptional was that her heart, once freed, migrated to a new vessel—Sora._

_The combination of the two theoretically unlikely exceptions may be behind this anomaly._

_There are matters I must attend to while Sora is sleeping._

_A new ally has appeared on the scene: Riku._

Mickey stopped reading when Riku's name appeared. There was so much potential in that boy, potential that the 'others' had saw; but sadly, it turned out to be a fluke. He had turned to the power of darkness at that moment when Destiny Island was being destroyed; and during that moment, the keyblade had sense another candidate for its choosing…Sora.

Sora, the boy chosen to open the door to light and Xehanort, the man chosen to open the door to darkness; there was a connection to everything. And now, supposedly, there is a door to twilight as well; given from the data that was in Ansem's computer.

Mickey skipped a few notes ahead, jumping right to the last one his friend was able to write before his death.

_**Secret Ansem Report 13**_

_Tomorrow Sora awakens._

_My long and drawn-out revenge is nearing its end._

_Xehanort, who took everything away from me. Though as a Heartless he is no more, as the leader of Organization XIII his ambition once again is to capture Kingdom Hearts, the most colossal heart of all._

_His Heartless had attempted to draw out the great darkness of Kingdom Hearts, created from the hearts of all worlds. His Nobody, however, is now almost finished gathering human hearts to be assimilated into Kingdom Hearts as well._

_The fool!_

_Only one mystery remains._

_How did Xehanort manage to open the door that appeared in the basement of my castle...?_

_No...any theory posited now, when everything is nearing completion, would be meaningless._

_Roxas, Ansem, Naminé..._

_They defy all logic, yet there they are: singular exceptions to the rule._

_The theories proposed by me and by Organization XIII have been blown to pieces by a handful of strong-hearted individuals._

_Sora, Kairi, Riku._

_Ah, yes—Riku._

_Though his heart has its weaknesses, making it prone to darkness, he found support in the hope he discovered beyond suffering._

_This hope allowed him to stand his ground and turn the darkness in his heart from an enemy into his greatest weapon._

_When all this is over, it is my fervent hope that he will be able to return with Sora to his island._

_If I can, I should like to return to Radiant Garden, to look once more upon the beautiful water, the lovely flowers, and the hopeful smiles of the people._

_Dear King, my friend!_

_I believe that, at some point in time, you will come across these, my truthful accounts._

_How I wish I could have chatted with you again._

_I was a fool, obsessed with revenge._

_Forgive me._

A lone tear fell down King Mickey's cheek; taking a long sniff and wiping his nose clear from the dripping snot. He embraced the note with great care, memories of his dear friend being kept in his heart.

That's when King Mickey's eyes shot wide open, his mind coming to realization. He read over the last report again, focusing the first few sentences at the beginning. He began to piece everything together, his mind coming to fruition over what Xemnas was plotting, "No, he wouldn't do such a thing…if so…"

He lost the will to speak, his words becoming swallowed by his fears and discovery that he prayed was not true.

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A dark vortex opened up the dimension to Neverland from the realm of darkness. Roxas and the others stepped out of the void, making it vanish behind them in a puffing swish of black smoke. The sun-kissed and spiky haired boy scouted their position, finding them to be on good old Skull Rock. The island was a small grotto shaped as a skull, but you would've figured that out by just looking at it.

"We're close to Hook's ship." He stated plainly, looking off towards the sea and spotting Hook's ship not too far off the coast.

Larxene tried to avoid stepping on the puddle of water that was on the ground, hating the disgusting element to her thunder one, "Our target isn't Hook; it's Peter Pan who we're after."

"So, where is this brat anyway?" Minx spoke impatiently, causing an annoying pout to appear.

"Well my dear, that's what we're trying to figure out." Larxene snidely remarked at the girl, "So, calm down and don't speak."

Minx was about to strangle the woman, but Roxas gave her a stern look that made her hold her ground, "Both of you calm down, we're here for one objective and I want to do this smoothly as possible."

"Whatever you say, kid." Larxene replied in a bored tone, but she kept her sight on Minx and her brother.

She had her mind running with possibilities in getting rid of the two, but she knew she had to be careful when doing so. After all, she didn't want to reveal her betrayal to the Organization quite yet; if anything, she wanted to avoid that from happening. But she was the _Savage Nymph_, being lucid and dignified wasn't her forte.

"What do you plan we do, Roxas?" Hexer asked, wanting to get the mission underway; he knew they needed to be careful in case they ran into the Keyblade Master and his friends.

Thirteen decided to think hard over his plan, his mind being intelligent enough to make some sort of judgment, "I think we should pay a visit to our old friend, Captain Hook."

"That old wash-belly?" Larxene asked skeptically, "What for?"

"He may hold the key in lingering Peter Pan out from his hiding place." He calmly remarked, approaching the edge of the grotto and looking across the sea to the floating ship.

"Let's hurry then, I'm sick of being in this place." Minx retorted, shivering from the howling wind that echoed inside the cave.

"You scared there little wench?" The malicious blonde woman teased, her eyes gleaming dangerously, "Maybe we should leave you behind, crybaby." Minx growled at the woman, tired of her insults and sarcastic remarks.

Roxas seemed annoyed by this, his voice strict and low, "Enough." He opened a portal ahead of him and without another word he entered inside its domain.

The other three didn't say anything else either, following Roxas inside the dark channel. They all disappeared through the gateway, making their way ahead to Captain Hook's ship, leaving Skull Rock to howl balefully.

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Sora carefully made sure that the Gummi Ship was kept hidden beneath the large leaves of the jungle trees. He helped Namine out of the vessel, the both of them landing on the soft covered ground. They stepped on some branches that were scattered on the floor, causing the twigs to crunch beneath their feet as they took in their surroundings.

Sora was the first to make a suggestion, "We should try to find Peter Pan for help in finding the keyhole."

"We don't have to, I can already sense it." Namine spoke evidently, her eyes becoming solid and hollow.

Sora noticed this and tried to snap her out of it, "Namine!" The girl shook her head, her mind becoming clear again, but she soon found her body beginning to hurt, "Are you alright?" Sora asked, becoming concern for the girl's well being.

Namine looked down at her hands, keeping them hidden from Sora, as they were transparent. She became fortunate that the affect didn't last long, "I'm fine."

"How far do you think the keyhole is?" Sora asked curiously.

"It seems far, almost like it's off somewhere on another island. I can't really tell, but I can sense it though." She replied carefully, Sora taking her word for it.

"This seems to be a large island, I bet you that Peter Pan and the others are nearby. We should probably find them and have them point the way where the keyhole might be." Namine agreed, since she wasn't too familiar with the place; she only had some memories about it, holding most of Sora's memories inside her.

As they began to make their way through the forest, leaving the Gummi ship behind them, Sora cheerfully spoke, "Hey, you might get to fly here!" He exclaimed brightly, "I'm sure Tinkerbell can lend you some of her pixie dust once she gets to know you; but you got to remember to always think happy thoughts in order to fly." Namine nodded from his explanation, already forming a happy thought in her mind.

They traveled through the marshes inside the forest until they found themselves at a cliff; they saw the outskirts of the island. Everything seemed like it came out of a fairytale, the colors being bright and vibrant, the blue sky reflecting off of the ocean in perfect harmony.

Namine couldn't believe such a beautiful place existed, "So, this is Neverland." She spoke dreamily.

She took a step forward, but when she did, the ground underneath her began to crumble. Sora caught sight of this, shouting out to Namine and trying to reach out for her, "Namine, watch out!" She looked over at Sora with a confused expression before it all changed, feeling her body begin to fall. She gasped in fright, letting out a horrifying scream, stretching her hand out to Sora's. Their fingers slipped by each other; fear gripping Namine's thoughts to go blank as she felt the ground leave her.

She began to fall, her eyes widening in shock, leaving her voice to trail out a scream of terror. She closed her eyes, Roxas clouding her thoughts as she waited for the impact; but it never came.

Namine opened one eye before opening the other, discovering that she was in someone's arms. She looked towards her savior, finding him to be a boy in a green jumpsuit made out of leaves as the fabric. He had a green top hat, a red feather sticking out at the side with the biggest grin on his face, "Are you alright there?"

She couldn't find her voice, her eyes blinking rapidly and her hair disheveled, "Um…" She heard Sora shout from above, "Peter Pan!" She blinked once more, finding her rescuer to be Peter Pan himself.

She soon heard someone call out from underneath them, the voice holding a feminine English accent, "Peter, is she alright?"

The boy glided up with glee, causing Namine to latch out in fright, putting her arms around his neck, "Don't worry, Wendy! I got her!" He obnoxiously spoke, peering over the girl in his arms before looking back up at Sora, "Sora! Long time no see!" The keyblade warrior sighed in relief, feeling glad to see an old friend and Namine safe.

After awhile, Sora was able to glide himself down where the others were, forgetting all about the ability that was given to him; he was grateful to Peter for taking action in saving the young witch. He jogged over at the rebellious boy as he placed Namine down on the ground; the girl looked shaken up, but other than that she was fine.

He ran over to Namine, steadily holding her shoulders, "Namine, are you alright?" She nodded, taking in some air before swallowing it into her lungs, "Yes, I think I'll be fine." She turned to Peter who looked rambunctious as ever, "Thank you, Peter."

He grinned at the girl, already not being able to stand still, "No problem! I was glad to help! Seems like Sora has a lot to learn though!" Sora huffed at the boy as he took off into the air, performing multiple flips; but he soon had a smile return back on his face.

Wendy approached the two, her curiosity getting the better of her, "Excuse me, who might your name be? And what brings you back to Neverland, Sora?"

"My name is Namine." The blonde answered politely, Sora answering the other question right away, "As for the reason why we're here, Wendy; it's because we have a quest to fulfill in your world."

Peter Pan took great interest from this info, "Quest? What kind of quest? Are you guys looking for buried treasure?" Namine giggled at his childishness as well as Wendy, "Something like that."

"We're looking for something that's shaped like a keyhole. Have you seen something like that around here?" Sora asked keenly.

Peter fiddled with his chin, "I'm not sure, but I bet that old codfish Hook might know! Wendy and I were about to go there once Tinkerbell and the lost boys return."

"Why are you heading over to Hook's place anyway?" Sora asked with concern.

"Well you see; Hook kidnapped my brothers, John and Michael." Wendy's face became crestfallen, "Poor Michael, he must be so afraid." She spoke with great fear and worry.

Peter Pan though felt at ease, "Ah, I wouldn't worry about them, Wendy. They're true lost boys!" He exclaimed proudly.

"Peter, this isn't a game." She softly scolded at him, causing him to descend on the ground, feeling a bit hurt from her words.

"That's terrible. Sora, we have to help them." Namine told him, not liking the idea of leaving them stranded.

"Don't worry, Namine. I have no intentions of abandoning my friends." Sora replied with a comforting grin.

"You'll help us?" Wendy asked hopefully, Peter also looking hopeful, though he didn't want to admit it.

"You bet!" Sora replied, Namine nodding along with him. They knew they had more essential matters to take care of, but they couldn't leave their friends without helping them.

Just then, a gold sparkle of light flew by them, twirling around and landing on Peter's shoulder, "Tink, there you are! Did you and the lost boys find Hook's ship?" The little pixie vigorously nodded at the boy, twinkling some dust off her wings.

At this time, the lost boys appeared out of the bushes, Cubby who was dressed in a bear costume being the last to appear.

Slightly who wore the fox costume was the first to speak among the group of boys, "Peter, we know where…!" He was cut off by Nibs who had on a rabbit suit. He roughly pushed the boy out of the way, causing him to yelp out in pain, "We found Hook's ship!"

Peter nodded, "I know, Tink told me."

"We should hurry then." Namine commented aloud, the others agreeing with her.

They all followed Tinkerbell who led the way with Namine feeling a heavy pit at the bottom of her stomach as they journeyed off.

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Captain Hook ordered his first mate while traveling down the steps, "Smee, feed the wretched things would you." Mr. Smee opened the cage, causing it to squeak from its rust. He carefully placed the food down in front of the two captured boys.

Both Michael and John stuck their tongues out in disgust over the questioning meal, "Now, now, wouldn't want you lads to be starving now; not with Peter Pan on his way to rescue you." Hook spoke with slight venom, twirling his hook and polishing it with a white rag.

"In the name of the Queen of England, Peter will never bow before you." John spoke defiantly, causing Hook to become angry. He struck his hook at the boy, making him pull Michael back while gasping in fright, "I would watch that tongue of yours, boy. It may slip and attach itself on my hook here." John and Michael shivered from the threat, the both of them cowering in the corner of the cell.

Mr. Smee held a sympathetic look at the boys, trying to calm the captain down, "Captain, we can't harm them quite yet, not without capturing Peter Pan."

"Ah yes, the wretched boy who took my hand away from me; because of him, I fear over that crocodile taking a bite for me other hand." He spoke solemnly and dramatically, making the boys roll their eyes at him.

"Now, now Captain." Mr. Smee patted his back in order to ease his depression, "I'm sure that crocodile is long gone." He tried to convince him, remembering the tick tock of the clock when the reptile was nearby, "Come now, why don't you rest? That way, you'll have the energy to get rid of that Pan lad."

Hook wiped some tears away, blowing his nose into his handkerchief, "Yes, I suppose you're right, Smee." They both began to turn around, heading back up the stairs.

Michael and John gasped though in fright when they saw two hooded figures appear out of the shadows. One of them took out a weapon that looked to be a key, aiming it at Captain Hook, "Not so fast, Hook. You and I have a proposition to make over this Peter Pan."

The said captain turned around, becoming alarmed in seeing the keyblade, "What is the meaning of this!?" He exclaimed in horror, "Intruders in my ship!?"

"Shut up, I'll be taking orders now; you just have to follow what I say." Roxas replied menacingly, turning his head over at Hexer, "Open the cage up and bring the boys up on the deck. Minx and Larxene should be done in taking out the crew." Hook and Mr. Smee seemed appalled by the news, the captain growling at Roxas, "Now you see here! You can't take control of my ship! Who are you!?" He asked with a shout, interrogating the two as Hexer pulled John and Michael out of their prison cell.

Roxas pulled his hood back, his yellow eyes glowing and a sinister gin spreading across his face, "Why, you don't remember me, Hook? Last time I remembered, you were blasting cannons at me." Hexer forced the boys to head up the steps, leaving Roxas with Hook, "Now, about my proposal regarding over Peter Pan's heart."

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Sora and the others made it out of the jungle, arriving at the beach that surrounded the island. Peter Pan flew up at the sky, spotting Hook's ship in the distant. He glided back down to the others, "That old codfish's ship is out there alright. We're going have to rely on you Tink to get the others over there." Tinkerbell nodded, already beginning to sprinkle pixie dust on the group.

Namine closed her hands together and drew them to her chest. She felt the dust fall over her body, showering her with dreams and promises. She looked over at Sora who began to lift up into the air, "Just think what makes you happy the most, Namine." The girl found that to be easy, her thoughts creating a blonde haired boy with dark blue eyes. She closed her eyes, drinking in his image and making it a part of her. She let out a sigh, becoming oblivious to the fact that her feet were already lifted off the ground.

She opened her eyes, becoming engrossed over her happiness to notice she was already flying. When she finally caught notice of the phenomenon, she gasped and began to fall.

Peter Pan shouted at her, "Keep holding onto that happy thought!" She stopped falling when she did, straightening herself back up in the air.

"This is amazing…" She concluded in awe, a smile blooming over her face, picking her spirits up to fly even higher.

"Alright then, lets begin the rescue!" Sora announced, already taking off and gliding over the waters to the ship. Everyone followed after him; the trip didn't take long for them to reach their destination.

They floated under and around the ship, making sure not to be seen by Hook or his mean. Peter silent everyone with his finger, "Tinkerbell, you go see what's going on up there." He ordered his pixie friend, which she happily obliged.

She flew up at the deck, soon signaling Peter and the others to also come up.

"Alright everyone, be careful not to get spotted." They all glided up, hiding themselves in the shadows as the ship rocked back and forth from the water's current.

They grabbed hold of the ledge, looking around the deck in order to find Hook; and they found him, along with the Organization. Namine gasped at the sight, finding Roxas with his hood off and ordering Hexer to tie the children up against the pole. Her eyes shook with distraught, Sora also becoming disappointed at the sight.

"Roxas…" She spoke aloud, causing Peter to look right at her, "You know those people?" He asked distrustfully, not liking how they were handling Wendy's brothers.

Namine was too stunned to answer, Sora looking over at her with concern and pity; he had to be careful that she didn't do anything reckless.

"Why…why is he here?" She asked aloud, her hands shaking, "Roxas…what are you…?" She soon came to realization, the past events catching up to her in flashing images, "No, you can't take another heart…" Sora growled, knowing that was exactly the reason why he was there.

"John…Michael…" Wendy spoke with fear for her brothers' lives. The lost boys were worried as well, all of them hugging each other over the situation they were facing, shaking in fear as they felt a strong darkness come over them.

It didn't take long for that darkness to find them either, Roxas sensing them from the shadows, "We know you're there." They all gasped in shock, "We'll give you back the prisoners, if you come out, Peter Pan."

"Peter…" Sora whispered the name aloud, looking over at his free-spirited friend, _'They're after Peter's heart!'_ He looked over at Namine, her expression telling him she came to the same conclusion.

He gulped down some saliva, "Namine, I need you to stay here with Wendy." The girl began to protest, "Sora, you can't do this alone!" He chuckled, remembering the same words given to him from a certain someone, "I have to; I can't risk you doing anything quite yet."

She let out some air through her nose in frustration, "But we made a promise; this is Roxas we're talking about."

"I know, but they have hostages. We can't just jump out and attack." Sora was actually trying to think things through for once, not wanting to do anything rash that might jeopardize John and Michael's life.

They heard Wendy gasp though when Roxas pulled out his keyblade, edging it over at her brothers, "I'm waiting." He soon grinned sinfully, "Or is the great Peter Pan afraid?" He knew such a comment would get to the careless boy who could fly, his pride being his weakness.

Peter snarled at the remark, already taking off towards the challenger. Sora called out after him, "Peter!" But he was already too far-gone to call back, Tinkerbell following after him, "Dammit…!" Sora growled under his breath, turning back over to Namine and the others, "I'll go after Peter; while we're distracting Roxas and the others, you two go and free John and Michael, you understand?"

Wendy and the others nodded, but Namine looked to be in her own little world, "Namine!" Sora snapped her out of her trance, making her look right at him, "Did you hear me?" He sternly asked; he wanted to make sure her head was clear on what to do. The pale girl nodded sadly, descending down a bit as her thoughts began to jumble and scatter.

With that settled, Sora followed after Peter, both of them landing upon the deck and facing Roxas and the others. Hook was there, pointing his claw at them, "I see you've arrived boy."

"Just as I expected." Roxas clarified, holding little interest towards Sora, "Sora, you're here as well? How does that not surprise me?" He asked with a bored tone.

Sora grinned at his Nobody, "You truly are pathetic, Roxas. How can you live with yourself when you forgot the person who means more to you than your own existence?" The blonde became disgruntled over the comment, glaring at his other self with great distaste and mystification.

"Let John and Michael go!" Peter demanded, ignoring the conversation that was going on between the two.

"Silence you wretched child!" Hook retorted, gripping his hook hand, "If you want the brats, you must first give us your heart!"

Peter seemed shocked by such demands, but he stood strong, pulling out his dagger rebelliously. Minx couldn't help but to snicker at the small weapon, calling forth her bow and arrows. Roxas only held a blank expression as he drew out his other keyblade, now holding both the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands.

Larxene and Hexer stood behind them, watching over the prisoners. Hook threw a tantrum, "Wait! I want to be the one to take that impudent child's heart!"

"I'm going to be the one to claim his heart." Roxas replied coldly, giving Hook a menacing stare, "Is that clear?" The hooked man seemed to back down, but he still held a scornful look at the dual-wielder.

The thirteenth member took his awareness back on the two heroes, the keyblades whistling from the passing wind, "I'm going to be taking that heart now." He dashed forward at Peter, never noticing the girl who was crying for him with unstoppable tears, her world falling and disappearing before her eyes.

End Chapter

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Kiome-Yasha: "Boy was this chapter long, but probably not as long as the next one would be. Like I said before everyone, I'm sorry for updating this chapter so late. I blame school for this. I might have some mistakes, but I'm sure GAR will point them out to me if I do; which I am grateful of. I'm trying to make my writing better. I was looking over at the outline of the story, and I've decided to add one more chapter in; so there's still seven left. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will leave a review. Please leave a review; I'm checking those e-mails! Also, I've decided to reply to my reviewers now, I feel better by telling you guys how grateful I am when you review."

Sora: "No preview, but the title to the next chapter will be Take Away My Dreams."


	29. Take Away My Dreams

Declaimer: "I do now own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "Sorry for the long wait everyone, college has been keeping me away from updating my fics. I also had to update WITD first before I could update TWYRM. Well, with everything going under way, I present to you another new chapter!"

Chapter 29 Take Away my Dreams

Riku scouted his radar, finding Neverland to be not too far ahead of him. He pressed onto the engine, igniting the flames to the boosters. He sped quickly across the dead zone of space, praying to make it in time and inform the others about the king. He only hoped that he wasn't too late in helping the royal mouse, fear gripping his chest from the dreadful thought.

"Sora, you better not be getting yourself into too much trouble." He silently warned, knowing that his best friend had a tendency to do just that; but he always did it with good intentions.

"I only hope we can stop everything in time." He voiced aloud, preparing to land. Hopefully he could find Sora and Namine easily in time to unlock the keyhole to darkness, releasing the dark element in order to retrieve back who they have lost.

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Sora blocked Roxas's attack with his keyblade, shielding Peter Pan from the assault. He growled at the stubborn boy, "Peter, you want to get your heart taken? Get the hell out of here! You're no match for him!"

Peter scowled at Sora as he flew up to the sky, "I'm not going to leave this all to you, Sora!" He went and attacked airborne, bringing his dagger forward to perform multiple slashes.

Roxas looked unimpressed, "You're attack is useless; to think such a pitiful weapon would have an affect on me." He brought his hand forward, calling forth a beam of light to shoot out of his hand.

Peter was able to dodge the attack, flying backwards as the beam almost made contact with his body. Sora shoved Roxas back, signaling Wendy who got onboard with Namine behind the enemy's line. He kept his nobody busy, becoming frustrated as Roxas began using offensive/defensive maneuvers at the same time against him and Peter.

Peter let out his rooster cry, slashing across Roxas's side. He managed to throw the blonde off, causing an opening to appear for Sora. The keyblade master swiped his keyblade around before sending an uppercut towards Roxas's face. He missed though as the young nobody was able to somersault away from the attack. Roxas grinned, licking his bottom lip with great thrill and anticipation; Sora winced from the sight, finding him to be completely different than before, almost bloodthirsty.

Roxas turned to Peter who was huffing and puffing heavily from the intense battle, "I could feel your heart beating, what a pleasure it will be to take it away. I'm sure it will be a perfect piece for Kingdom Hearts to be complete; just like the others."

Sora's eyes widened by this, flashes of his parents death coming back to haunt him, "You…_**bastard!**_" He charged forward, his heart pulsing wildly as he thrashed his keyblade left to right.

Roxas smirked from the challenge, preparing for the next round against his other self. He brought Oblivion and Oathkeeper forward, twirling them around his fingers while gliding forward at the rampaging Sora.

Hook took this time to engage himself into the battle, wanting to claim his prize over his youthful rival's heart. Peter spotted this, Tinkerbell entering by his side from the threat.

"Tink, go help the others." He whispered silently to the fairy, having no choice but to follow his orders, as she was faithful to him.

Hook laughed as he saw the little pixie take off, "I see you have lost your little fairy, you wretched brat!" He pointed his hook at the boy, growling menacingly, "I'll make you pay what ye have done to me hand!" He declared with vengeful rage.

Peter only harked aloud from this, "Try to catch me you old codfish!" The rambunctious boy took off to the sky, causing Hook to become off balance as he tried to strike him with his sword.

With Hook becoming distracted by Peter and Roxas by Sora, Namine and Wendy went along with the mission that was assigned for them. They quietly took their way across the deck, making sure not to be spotted by Larxene and Hexer, the both of them keeping a close watch on the prisoners.

Namine whimpered as she followed Wendy and the lost boys, finding her legs to be shaking and unsteady. She had tears slowly coming down her face, making short glances at Roxas as he continued his fight with Sora. All of a sudden, Namine felt a sharp pain come through her body, causing her to crumble to the ground. She scanned over her body, gasping when she saw half of it to be already gone.

"Oh no…" She mourned silently to herself, figuring out a way to gain back her body. She was so weak and unstable, becoming vulnerable as she silently cried out for Roxas.

Wendy and the lost boys soon noticed her predicament, hurrying back over to her. Wendy became frightened over the girl's condition, "Namine dear, what's happening?" She tried to touch the girl, but was pushed back from her.

"No, please, go help and save your brothers; I'll be fine." She let out hoarsely, cringing as she felt another sharp pain shoot through her.

Wendy gazed down at her with concern, but soon replaced it with a fierce scowl, "Boys, wait here with Namine; I'm going to help free John and Michael." The group of boys saluted to the English girl, taking pride over the request she gave them as she took off.

'_Once again, I'm nothing more than trouble for everyone. I'm always in the way, even for Roxas, I was nothing more than…' _Soon, her body became whole, causing her the others to be in shock.

Namine lifted her hand to her face, finding everything to be in check and solid again. She then glanced over at the frightened boys, giving them a firm nod, "Let's go, I won't let Wendy handle everything on her own." They agreed with her, glad to see she had a resolve.

'_I won't let this slow me down, not when I'm so close…'___She chastised to herself, gripping her hands into fists as she followed after Wendy. She would make sure to keep her friends safe, even if she had to face Roxas to defend them. Of course, she was afraid for such an outcome to happen, her legs trembling uncontrollably; but she wasn't going to let fear stop her from protecting those she cared about.

Wendy sensed the others behind her, turning over to speak, "Namine? Are you sure to be up?" She noticed the girl to be concrete, but she was still worried, "I'm sure I can handle untying my brothers on my own."

Namine stubbornly shook her head, "I'm fine, we need to do this together; Sora said so. I won't let you go off on your own, Wendy." She turned to the lost boys beside her, "Neither of us will." The all nodded and agreed, finding Namine's words to be honest and true from her non-existent heart.

"If that is what you wish for, then I cannot stop you. You're will is stronger than our mother, the Queen of England herself." Namine blushed tremendously from the comment, finding warmth and encouragement from her compliment.

"Thank you; now, let's save your brothers."

The England girl nodded, turning around to proceed with their mission. They neared the pole sail that had Michael and John tied up; Larxene, Minx, and Hexer unaware over the group that was behind the pole.

John was the first to notice them, becoming joyous in seeing his beloved sister. Wendy shushed him before he could speak, "Shhh! We're going to get you out of here. Just follow my lead." Michael grinned when he saw his sister, Wendy returning the smile as she and Namine began to work on the ropes.

The young and beautiful witch took full concentration over what she was doing.

They loosened the knot, nearly untying the boys' free from their confinements. Luck wasn't kind to them though, Larxene spotting them right away as she took a glance behind her. She remained quiet though, whisking her face back where it was before she spotted them. She looked over at Minx and Hexer beside her, her mind racing on what she should do; it didn't look like they caught notice of Namine and her friends yet. She soon produced a wicked grin though as an idea began to formulate inside her devious mind.

With her moment to strike like a snake, she called out, "Roxas, the prisoners are escaping!" It was right at that moment that Namine and Wendy were able to free Michael and John from their captivity, only to gasp in fright as they were discovered.

Roxas jumped back from Sora's upcoming blow, whipping his face to the intruders. His eyes widened when he caught notice of Namine, gritting his teeth tightly as his head already began to hurt from the sight of her. He tried not to seem vulnerable at the moment, not wanting to reveal his weakness. Memories started charging at him, spreading torment of unwanted fear; fear of what?

'_Fear of losing you…fear of you disappearing from my life…. forever….'_

His own voice whispered back at him, haunting him to remember. He shook it off though, finding the pain to be too much. Whatever memory he had, it had to be false, just as Xemnas had said.

Sora spoke out, finding their plan to be slightly ruined, "Namine, you and the others get out of here!" The girl nodded, taking her gaze back at Roxas who returned the same look of desperation.

It was an intense moment, both seeking answers from the other. They screamed out to each other through their eyes, Namine begging for Roxas to come back to her, while he demanded to know her existence. She blinked though, letting out tears of pure anguish; casting away the spell they were both under. She refused to go to him now, not when he was like this.

She took her attention back on the others, "Let's go!" They all took off, causing Roxas to be numb and dumbfounded at the moment on what to do.

He soon got himself together; growling at his companions, "Go after them! Kill them if you have to!" He ordered angrily, sweat appearing on his face as he tried to concentrate.

Sora was shocked by his demands, not wanting to believe the words that had just escaped out of the blonde's mouth.

Larxene became glad though with the effect Namine had on him, _'Hopefully this would work, he needs to remember!'_ She looked at the others, "Come on!" She went ahead of them, taking off after Namine and her friends by teleporting through a dark portal, seeing as they couldn't fly off to the islands. Minx and Hexer followed after her, finding her judgment to be questionable, seeing as she was acting strangely towards the situation.

When they disappeared through the portal, Sora turned to Roxas with disgust, "Are you really going to let them kill _**Namine**_! You love her Roxas! Remember her, you _**asshole**_!" He wanted to say so much more vulgar words, becoming so frustrated with the boy in front of him it was beyond imaginable.

Roxas stumbled back with distress over the keyblade warrior's words, clutching his head while wincing in agony from his tortured memories, "Shut…up…!" He gritted aloud, "Just…shut up!" He demanded with an outburst cry, finding tears to be spilling across his face.

Sora was shocked by the display, but he didn't falter, gripping his keyblade tightly within his hands, _'I know he has them locked up somewhere…I'm just going to have to beat it out of him to remember her…no matter how painful the truth might be…'_

Peter flew higher overhead, "I'm going after the others! I'll make sure to keep them safe!" Sora agreed, finding Tinkerbell to go after the young flyer to the island.

"Blast you Peter Pan! I won't let you escape that easily! Smee! Get the boats ready! We're going to shore!" Hook ordered impatiently, grinding his teeth together with aggravation.

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Mr. Smee saluted, motioning the crew of pirates to ready the boats.

Roxas became frustrated over the man's choice of actions, finding his prey to be getting away with his heart to take. He tried to go over the ship, remembering himself to have the ability to fly, but he was stopped as a keyblade flung his way.

He turned as the key shaped blade returned to its owner like a boomerang, taking in the heroic image of the spiky brown-haired teenager. Sora's keyblade glistened under the scorching sun, the large ball of fire descending down behind the mountains as twilight came. It silhouetted his figure from the front, his bright blue eyes being the only light to see through his shadowed body.

Roxas chuckled, finding the stage to be set, "I guess I won't be taking off so easily."

"Damn straight." Sora deeply retorted, drawing his keyblade back to his side, "I won't let you take another heart, Roxas. I won't allow Kingdom Hearts to be tarnished by darkness, especially not yours!" He dashed forward, ensuing the fight between them like mirror images of equal strengths.

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Namine and the others took off into the woods after landing on the shore of Neverland. They took no time to wait, making their way through the thick jungle. Namine could feel Larxene and the rest of the Organization members behind them, giving chase to capture them. Her body pulsed wildly, making her breathing hollow and empty as she ran alongside the group.

She soon came to a halt though, causing Wendy and the boys to stop in their tracks. Wendy turned to the girl, gripping her arms in a panic, "Namine! What are you doing? We must keep going, please!" The flaxen-haired blonde shook her head mulishly, "No, you have to go. I'll stay behind to distract them from reaching you guys."

Wendy refused the offer, realizing the girl could be really stubborn, "No! We must stick together! I'm sure Peter and Sora will come and help us! Now please, come with us!" Again, Namine shook her head to decline the girl's plea, "I'll be alright." Her voice faltered though, remembering the last time something like this happened in Beast's Castle.

Jonathon grabbed Wendy's hand, pulling it off the blonde witch, "Wendy, she has made her decision. Let's go before they catch up to us!" He declared deeply, setting his tone to be stern.

His voice seemed to work though, Wendy freeing the girl from her grasp, "Please, do be safe." She pleaded humbly.

Namine smiled reassuringly, "I'll do my best! They need you, so make sure to watch over them." She indicated over to the boys, finding fear to be reflected in their adolescent eyes.

Wendy nodded in agreement, "I will." She soon turned to the boys, nodding to them to start running. They all took off into the woods, leaving Wendy and her brothers to look back at Namine, giving her one last chance to change her mind.

The girl edged them to go on, not wanting to let her heroic act be in vain if the nobodies came before they escaped. They reluctantly left her behind, taking off into the deeper parts of the jungle as they rustled through the tropical leaves.

Namine released a shuttering sigh, finding her mind to be jumbled up with many emotions that she couldn't quite define to being one. The sound of their footsteps stopped, finding them to be away from the vicinity; the other footsteps getting closer. She turned with her head held high, her face contorting a frown as she waited for the enemy to come. She knew they were coming, she could somehow feel their energy of darkness coming towards her. It was strong, but not as strong of another she held close to her. She only hoped that this was her chance to get him back, even if she did disappear and lost him forever.

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Larxene, Hexer, and Minx gave quick chase after the escaped prisoners, having fazed through the portal admittedly after they landed on the shore. The _Savage Nymph_ grinned to herself as she found her plan to be flawless so far, taking a glance to the two beside her as they ran through the jungle. She soon stopped their pursuit, startling the other two to stop as well.

"What's with the pause?" Minx demanded, finding her emerald eyes to be glowing with anger.

"We should separate." The older woman requested abruptly, causing the two with her to be confused, "The group ahead of us would most likely had split up; we should do the same."

Minx approached the woman with disdain, " And what makes you think that?"

"Woman's intuition." She simply answered with a smug tone, causing the small girl to growl at her.

"She may be on to something, Minx. We should split up to find the prisoners and intruders." Hexer announced modestly at his little sister.

Minx scoffed at her brother, while Larxene gazed at him with fondness, "Glad to see you're a good boy." She took her attention back on the pink-haired girl, "Seeing as there is no further deviation towards my plan, we should hurry off."

Minx remained silent, finding Larxene's negligence to be untrustworthy, but she was forced to follow the maiden's demand, seeing as she held a higher rank.

"Hexer, you can come with me. Minx, I'm sure you can handle things on your own. If you see Peter or his friends, you know what to do." The woman digressed artfully, her eyes gleaming with pleasure.

"Yeah, I know." The mischief child said, calling forth her bow and arrows and already taking off into the trees like a skillful squirrel.

She looked down at her brother and craft woman, "I'm heading this way. Be sure to keep a watchful eye on that woman, Hexer." She jumped onto the next branch, making her way to find the group.

Larxene jeered from the comment, turning towards her victim, "Well then, shall we?" She went off into the jungle, making sure that Hexer was behind her. She chuckled to herself, waiting for the moment to send the Nobody back to the darkness where he came from.

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Clashes of metal rang out into the setting sun upon Hook's ship, glistening sparks of light reflecting off the keyblades as they collided. Sora swerved backwards as Roxas forced him back, regaining posture with his keyblade to protect him soon afterwards. The depraved blonde shot beams of light into the air, circling an aura around them while he shot beams of light towards Sora. Sora managed to deflect the beams, gliding off the ship before the rays of light could make contact upon his flesh. He flew around in a gigantic circle, veering up into the sky before deciding to cast a thunder spell.

He was stopped though when Roxas suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind the bewildered brunette. As Sora turned around towards the blonde, he was slashed across the face as Roxas's twin keyblades were brought down.

Blood scattered across the sky as Sora began to descend down upon the deck. He crashed into the wooden surface, causing the structure to burst and crack. He groaned as the warm liquid came down upon his face, making him seem paralyzed.

Roxas covered his hood up as he landed gracefully upon the damaged deck, slowly making his way over to Sora with his keyblades gleaming in the light. His whole figure was shadowed by the setting sun, bringing out his gold eyes underneath the immense darkness of his hood.

He gave a wicked grin, "I guess I've won this battle once again, you really are slipping without me." Sora winced as the blood came over his eyes, preparing for the blow he was about to receive from his impious half.

He got the last word though before Roxas could commence the blow, "It won't change anything; all of this will make you realize how pointless and sad you are Roxas. Succumbing to your own weakness is what's going to destroy you, and _**her**_." The hooded blonde knew whom he was referring to right away, his face twisting up in anger from the brunette's words.

"I told you to shut up about that!" He finally warned, bringing his keyblade the Oathkeeper down to end the hero's life.

He was stopped though when he felt a dark flare come his way from the side, causing him to rear Oblivion up to block and ricochet the attack. He growled threateningly to his aggressor, jumping back a few feet as he saw another one come his way. Roxas perched himself on higher ground, turning around to see the intruder that tried to strike him.

He glared as he recognized the long silver set of layered hair, bright turquoise eyes that brimmed underneath the nest of bangs. He identified the person with distaste, "Riku…"

"Riku!" Sora indicated with shock, becoming surprised in seeing his best friend in Neverland, "What are you…?"

"I'll explain later, but it seems like my predictions were right." The older boy remarked haughtily, "You really did get yourself into trouble."

"Hey! I resent that!" Sora replied childishly, noticing how King Mickey wasn't with him, "Hey, where's the king?"

"Like I said, I'll explain later since we don't have the time. Right now, we should take care of him." He glanced up at the hooded figured in front of him, "Roxas, is that really you?"

"Surprise, surprise." Roxas spoke darkly with slight mockery, "Riku, I didn't expect to see you here. Done playing with the darkness I see?"

"You have no right to speak to me about the darkness, Roxas." The broad teenager brought his keyblade Way to the Dawn out, leveling it beside his head, "I'll be sure to bring you back to Namine now."

"Sorry, but I have no time for this. I'm not going with anyone at the moment, who I care so little about." The boy coldly remarked, taking his gaze over to the island not too far off, "My assignment has gotten away, so I need to go after it as quickly as possible; you can try to stop me, but I'm sure you'll just disappoint me."

"Roxas!" Riku shouted desperately, but it was too late, the thirteenth ranked member had already abandoned the ship, making a beeline towards his destination.

"Dammit…" The older teen cussed under his breath, taking his sight back on his injured friend. He bent down to help Sora up, "You think you can stand?"

"I'll live, but more importantly, we need to catch up to him. There's no way I'm letting him take another heart from one of my friends." Riku agreed with the young keyblade wielder, making sure to steady him back on his feet.

"We should hurry." They both flew off the ship, though the brunette had a bit of an exertion. They began to make their way to the island, Sora asking along the way, "By the way, what happened with his highness?"

Riku gave a grim expression, controlling his breathing first before deciding to speak, "We…were attacked…"

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Peter and Tinkerbell floated over the jungle on the huge island, scouting the areas in hopes in finding Wendy and the lost boys. The rebellious boy descended his flight in order to enhance his vision, the little blonde fairy following after him. They soon caught sight of the girl in blue dress, causing Peter to flip with joy as he was ecstatic to see her safe and unharmed.

"Wendy!" The girl turned up to spot the boy, waving a hand at him, "Oh, Peter!" The lost boys jumped with delight in seeing their leader, the youngest one known as Tootles waving out his hands vigorously.

The boy began to fly towards his friends, but before he could reach them in time, an arrow shot out of nowhere from the trees. The pointed object struck Peter on the side of his ribs, scarring the boy as he was inflicted with pain. Not a moment too soon, another sharp arrow bolted through the sky, sending him to fall out of sky.

Tinkerbell became hysterical, taking great immense of speed to follow after his falling form. Both Wendy and the boys began to panic, beginning to run over where the boy had fallen. He fell harshly to the ground, gripping his injury as blood began to trickle through. He felt like his wound was on fire, becoming frightened over the sight of blood on his hands.

He whimpered out, "Mommy…"

"Sorry, but Mommy isn't here to save you." Minx landed on the grown as she jumped off a tree. She noticed the tears that he was stubbornly fighting back, "Aww, the big baby doesn't want to cry, does he?" She began to draw an arrow out, "This time, I'm going to aim at that little heart of yours."

"Stop it!" Wendy shouted as she and the lost boys appeared in the area. She ran over to Peter, engulfing him with her arms in order to protect the boy.

"Are you his Mommy? Just pitiful." Minx grumbled in disgust.

Tinkerbell became enraged towards the girl, finding her assault towards Peter to be unforgivable. She flew to her face, catching Minx off balance. The cheery-blossom head, tried to swat the pixie away, managing to become distracted.

Wendy took this time in helping Peter off the ground, hoping to hide somewhere safe. They were unfortunate though when Minx spotted their motive. She growled angrily, landing a hard smack at Tinkerbell with the back of her hand, sending the fairy to hit against a tree and to become unconscious.

"Tinkerbell!" They all shouted in alarm, becoming concern for their little glowing friend.

"Damn fairy!" Minx cussed lowly, taking her intimidating green eyes upon the group in front of her, "Playing hard to get, are we?" She snickered unpleasantly, making her way towards the group while preparing her weapon, "Now stay put while the guy hired to take your heart gets here."

They all shivered in fear, finding no hope in escaping their fate.

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Namine fiddled where she stood, sweat already beginning to descend down her face as she began feeling nervous. She scolded herself for not having her drawing with her, hoping it to be the key in bringing Roxas's memories back to her. She had the powers to manipulate memories even further when she drew; it was her trump card if anything else. She had a feeling though, a very unnerving feeling that it wasn't going to be enough though; depending on the level of darkness that has already consumed him.

She soon heard branches clicking off in front of her. She froze, bracing herself as she waited for the cracks to get closer. Her breath quickened a bit when Larxene and Hexer revealed themselves among the bushes in front of her.

Larxene was surprised to see Namine alone for the most part, not expecting her to be the one to get separated from the others; than again, it seemed like the girl had gained some backbone last time she met her.

"Larxene…" Namine said the name aloud, memories of the woman's cruelty flooding back into her. The Savage Nymph could only give the girl a stern look as her mind began to race on what to do with the situation in front of her.

Hexer got impatient though, "Where are the others?" He asked the trembling girl, finding her to be a nuisance to their search.

This is when fire flared up in Namine's eyes, taking a firm stand where she stood, "I'm not going to tell you."

Larxene warned the girl, "Namine, it will be best that you tell us where they went." She didn't want to hurt the girl, surprisingly enough.

She shook her head tenaciously, refusing to give into their demands, "I refuse to help you!" She exclaimed, her voice revealing her faltering shield of courage. She was afraid, but she remained strong for her friends. She soon whispered out her own question, "Where's Roxas?"

Larxene's eyes widened from this, "He's…he's left himself in the darkness by the looks of things."

"He doesn't remember you." Hexer remarked with an insensitive tone, causing the girl to break from the revelation.

"You're wrong! He does remember! Memories could never be forgotten, only locked up somewhere!" She reluctantly snapped, soon gasping in fright as she realized her body to be transparent. She whimpered softly, "No…" It actually broke Larxene's non-existent heart to see the girl's condition this way, finding it to be too cruel to accept, even from her own standards of wickedness.

"Looks like you're existence is running out, you truly are nothing but a shadow destined to fade away with the sun." Hexer poetically explained, drawing his axe back.

Larxene became stunned when she saw his stance, "Wait! You can't go off and kill her!"

"Why not?" It sounded like a statement than a question, "Let me just put her out of her misery already." He took action, alarming both females to panic.

"**No! Don't!**" Larxene shouted; cussing under her breath as she pulled out her knifes between her slim fingers. Namine gasped in fright as she saw her reflection on the blade, coming towards her to end her demise.

Before she knew it though, Namine felt sprinkles of warm liquid splash all over her. She flinched from the spread, smelling the copper material of blood all over her white gown. She hastily looked up, spluttering her breath as she saw an open wound of fresh blood spill out of Hexer's chest. She heard something pull itself out of his damaged flesh, the sound of blood dripping off the end. He fell lifelessly to the ground, reaching his hand out to her as black vapors started to appear over his body, his axe falling down on the rough dirt with a dead metallic thump. She looked up in shock to see Larxene's bored expression, holding a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She shook her knifes to get rid of the red material, almost like it was a disease before looking up at the girl with great pressure of uneasiness.

"Damn you…" Hexer muttered, coughing off blood as his sight became hollow.

"Whatever, just stay down and grovel to the darkness while it takes your dead corpse." She suggested unkindly, her voice thick and stony with corruption.

He soon melted away, letting the gas of black smoke erase his body as he left a small pool of blood in his wake. Namine was in awe from the process, finding it to be a frightening end for a Nobody. After she stopped shaking, the girl looked up at the murdering female, "Larxene, why did you…?"

The woman only grinned with triumph from her easy feat, "I'm running my own show; you owe me one, witch." She spoke with a malicious tone, already working up the next step to her plan; that's if Roxas didn't fail to cooperate.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "All I can say is that I am done with this chapter, and about damn time too; though I think I left mistakes in this chapter a bit. I've been waiting to update this for a while since the last update and the wonderful reviews I got from my reviewers. You guys are awesome and I'm glad to see you support this fic so contentedly with enthusiasm; I'm starting to write my vocabulary in my author's note it would seem XD. But I am gratefully though! Even for the people who didn't review and had put this story in their alert and favs! You guys truly are the best! To me, you're just spreading my fic to more people when doing so. Still, do leave a review to tell me what you think! Even if it's a short "Update Soon!" lol, it brings my spirits up –smiles-."

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is Fading Light. Stay tune!"


	30. Fading Light

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "Thank you everyone for who reviewed and supported this story thus far! I have FINALLY concluded the total chapters that TWYRM shall have, and that is the total of 38 chapters! We have come a long road, and we are all nearly there! I have to say, I shed tears of a joy of how much love was put into this story; I'm hoping there will be the same amount of love for the sequel. Well, I guess we actually have 8 chapters left, the 8th being the epilogue/ending. Thank you everyone, I may had wrote this story, but you guys are the ones who kept it going! With that said, I'm almost to 400 reviews! I can't believe I'm so close! Come on everyone; let's push it for all it's worth!"

Chapter 30 Fading Light

Riku and Sora dashed through the forest, wasting no time in making their pursuit after Roxas. Sora grinded his teeth together as he felt nervous; he didn't take the information about King Mickey from Riku too lightly and comforting. He now was concern for not only his friends, but for the King as well. His body pulsed with adrenaline, perspiration appearing on his light tan skin as he glided his way next to Riku through the dense and tropical jungle. He had his keyblade drawn out and ready, not taking any chances of being attacked.

Riku picked up speed, holding his keyblade tightly to him, "We have to hurry if we're going to save Peter from having his heart taken from Roxas!" Sora nodded with agreement, his face fixed with grim determination, "And after we do, we'll save King Mickey next!" He asserted firmly, catching Riku to become slightly stunned before nodding with confirmation.

Both teens bounced off a large branch from above, adding a boost to their glide as they sped up through the trees.

Sora worriedly comments though as they made their way deeper inside the island's labyrinth, "I just hope Namine and the others are safe until we get there."

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As Hexer's body fully evaporated to the sky of black smoldering mist, Larxene took her attention back on the trembling/blood-soaked girl in front of her. Namine stared up into the air as the last remains of the male nobody vanished within their sights. She felt so lost and confused, collapsing to the ground in a heaving hump of distraught. She looked down at her blood stained body, reacting towards it right away as she desperately tried to wipe it off.

Larxene looked at the girl with amusement, "Really now, no wonder Roxas had fallen for your cute and innocent profile. How else can he resist that face?" It was at that moment that the girl decided to gaze up at the foxy woman, giving her the pout she was referring to, "Larxene, why did you…?"

"Like I said…" She slyly cut in, "…I'm running my own show here, no more Miss Nice Larxene." Namine actually wanted to laugh at that comment, never being one to witness this suppose 'nice side' of Larxene's.

The woman raised her arms up in boredom, "I just can't stand the way things are running lately. It truly disgusts me to see how everything is turning out; don't you agree, Namine?" The girl looked up at the woman respectfully, "I'm talking about Roxas, of course. You want to get him back to the way he was, don't you?" The girl vigorously nodded, though hesitated soon afterwards, as she didn't fully trust the woman in front of her.

Larxene actually cackled from the artist's reaction, taking a few steps towards her with her hands on hips, "Well then, there's no use dawdling is there? Come on; get up! If we want to find Roxas, we have to hurry." She grabbed the girl's arm roughly, never being one to be gentle with her touches, "I don't mean to be informal, but if you really want to get Roxas back; I suggest you trust me." She noticed the fear that shivered in Namine's eyes, giving her the indication that the girl wasn't going to cooperate with her so easily. She sighed, finding she was in a difficult predicament, "Look, I know I've been a nasty in the past; and I must admit, I still am…but…you must believe me when I say I want to help you; even if that's hard to grasp."

Namine looked into the woman's sinister green eyes, finding her words to be true and honest. She found she had no choice, taking the risk in believing her to be an alley. She submissively nodded at the woman, bringing her head down, "Ok…"

"Don't give me just _'__**ok**__'_ like _that_! Just a minute ago, you were showing real spirit out there! If you really care for Roxas, you have to never let whatever that shit is inside of you to fade!" Namine became flabbergasted by the woman's blunt tone; her blue eyes become round with shock, finding nymph's words to be strangely comforting.

"Now, come on! We don't have time to waste if you want to save your friends!" The young witch nodded at the woman, letting her point the way.

As they began their vigorous stroll into the jungle, Namine had questions she wanted to ask the woman; of course she was afraid of being yelled at if she did. Larxene somehow sensed the girl's troubling mind, summoning out sigh of annoyance, "What is it? I know you have something to say in that little blonde brain of yours."

Namine fiddled with her lips, licking them around to provide moisture, "I wanted to know…that is…I wanted to ask if you knew why Roxas has changed?"

"Well, I thought the reason was obvious?" The woman candidly replied, finding the question to be useless.

"I know, but…" She felt like giving up hope from asking anything further.

"He's scared of losing you…" That picked up the girl's interest right away, Larxene's tone of voice becoming calm and collected without any vice, "It's because of his fears that he unconsciously made himself forget about you…I think he feared in feeling the pain if he ever did lose you in the end…at least…that's my theory."

"So, it is because of me." The girl commented slowly to herself, causing the older blonde to become frustrated, "Oh, don't act like you're the innocent martyr here! Not **everything** is your fault, witch—I mean, Namine."

Namine was caught off guard from her name being used by the woman, giving off a soft smile of gratitude, "Thank you…" She soon became troubled though, "But Larxene…" The woman turned her head over to the girl as they continued their walk, "Why _are_ you betraying the Organization? You aren't one to care for others."

She must admit, she felt insulted by the girl's choice of words, but she answered her none the less, "Let's just say, I have no idea."

"But, what if you get caught?" Namine actually began to develop concern for the _Savage Nymph_, despite the awful things she had done to her in the past; but if there was one thing she learned from her _own_ mistakes, it was forgiveness.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to see how things turn out when I cross that bridge; won't I?" She actually sounded carefree from the idea, even though she was edgy and nervous inside. Namine somehow had sensed this, but decided not to mention about it, finding her mind to be racing with others things that needed her concentration.

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Minx kept a watchful eye on Peter and his friends, making sure to keep them where they were until Roxas arrived. She soon heard someone rustling in the bushes near her, alarming Peter and the others; who were secretly hoping the person to be Sora. Their hopes were shot down though as a hooded figure that resembled Sora walked forward instead, his eyes on fire with a golden radiance around his pupils.

The hooded blonde walked forward, finding things to be falling into place, "Good work, Minx." The girl gave a smooth smile, finding her accomplishment to be worthy.

"Now then, without my other half being in the way, let's finish this." He flushed out his two keyblades, finding them to be a necessity in claiming the heart inside Peter. The boy tried to push himself away from Roxas's approaching form, Wendy and the boys shielding him as he came closer.

"I won't let you hurt Peter! You monster!" Wendy shouted at the boy, tears appearing at the edge of her eyes.

Roxas actually flinched from the hateful term, growling softly to himself in aggravation as Namine flashed in his head again. She was close, he had to make this quick before he had a change of 'heart'. He brought Oblivion up, proving his darkness to be much stronger than his trapped memories, "I'll complete Kingdom Hearts…" He carefully retorted, letting it be the only thing left for him to do in order to understand his purpose.

But before Roxas could commence the blow, Hook and his men popped out of the bushes. The thirteenth member was obviously not pleased with this encounter, never having the chance to speak as Hook began to raid, "That brat is mine! I shall not let you have him!" Roxas just glared at the man as he drew out his sword, his men mimicking him soon afterwards.

"Minx, take care of them." The teenager demanded silently, taking his attention back on Peter, "I have no time to waste on them."

The girl gladly followed his orders, bringing her weapon forward as she ready her aim to shoot her ruthless spell of arrows. There was a glint in her eyes as she began to fire at them, Hook taking the chance to call forth a bomb. He threw it towards her and Roxas, shocking them both off their feet as they jumped back.

"I guess you're not to be taken so lightly." Minx amusingly remarked, "He must really want that boy's heart to himself, huh Roxas?" She asked the boy next to her, finding his intense stare to be right on Hook.

"I won't let you interfere." He spoke in a dark and cold tone, "Now, stay out of this." He held his keyblades carefully to his side, making sure to perform any necessary tactics that might be needed in fighting the ruthless pirate.

"You forget that I have a heart that thrives for revenge!" Hook announced strongly, empathizing his hooked hand as a reminder of his past with Peter Pan and their many encounters.

"If only I had the heart to understand such a feeling, but fortunately, I don't." He took on his battle stance, his body trembling with growing pressure to strike quickly and fast. Hook's men shielded him as Roxas came forward, but it wasn't enough as they were sent to fall to the ground one by one. His attacks were relentless and quick, making it unstoppable to block or defend from; Hook's men became nothing more than flies, losing their wings to fly each at a time.

Roxas smirked obnoxiously from his triumph, "Seems like you're a Captain with no crew now, Hook. You should have thought wisely before coming here." Hook and Mr. Smee shivered in horror, finding the Nobody's strength to be formidable.

"Leave him alone!" Peter exclaimed, holding sympathy for his enemy; this was just too cruel for his innocent eyes to take.

Roxas slowly turned to the injured boy, "Caring for your enemy now, are we; so gullible. It's something like that, which makes your heart valuable." He began making his way towards them again, signaling Minx to keep Hook and his best mate to stay where they were.

Wendy shuttered as she began to panic, not knowing what to as she held Peter tighter to her, "Oh, Peter…what are we going to do?" She asked him softly, the boy too speechless and afraid to answer, though he gritted his teeth to ignore the feeling.

Roxas then had flashes of memories appear in his head, breaking through his boundary of darkness as he stumbled. He clenched his teeth and muscles as he tried to concentrate on the feeling, hoping to make it go away. His mind became fuzzy as images of a girl with pale blonde hair and baby-blue eyes appeared through his thoughts. He cussed over how random these memories were becoming, feeling a headache coming on as something crawled beneath his skin. He summoned up the darkness, erasing the memories that were eluting his mind. He heaved heavily from the occurrence, shaking it off as he received stares from the audience around him.

"Dammit, this illness is getting worse. Why is it fighting back so hard now?" He thought he had it under control, finding the girl's influence to be getting stronger each time they cross. He had to make sure to obtain that heart before she came and persuaded him again with her cursed light.

While forcing himself to think properly, he began to overcome the reoccurring memories. He let out a satisfying sigh, his mind once again developing back to its natural blank and hollow thoughts.

"Now that my seizure is over, it's time to get what I came here for." He affirmed wickedly, his eyes glowing yellow as the memories of a certain witch were finally beginning to fade away.

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Namine felt weak all of a sudden, falling to the ground behind Larxene. The girl's hand fazed right through the woman's tight grip, alarming the nymph from the sudden change. She looked back, her eyes bulging from the sight of Namine's ghostly form. She began to witness the event for the first time, realizing how serious this really was.

'_Is this what you were expecting, Xemnas?'_ She questioned to herself, remembering the reports she had read over the girl's condition. She knew it was related to Roxas's memory loss in some way and the darkness that he was creating. She rushed to the girl's side, hoping to help her regain her form, but it proved to be useless as her hands went through her body.

"Dammit, how can we fix this?"

"Roxas…" Namine whispered out the name in distress, gripping her chest as she felt something dark and heavy begin to grow, "This is…"

"Namine! You better hold on!" The woman demanded ruthlessly. It was at this moment where Sora and Riku entered the scene, gasping in alarm to see Namine's condition, along with Larxene's current presence with the girl.

"Larxene!" Riku exclaimed heatedly, his keyblade drawn and ready to attack.

"Get away from Namine!" Sora commanded, his face contorting into a scowl as he positioned himself to fight.

She gave the boys an intense look, finding things to be getting out of hand. She tried her best to whisper at Namine without them noticing, keeping herself in safe distance, "Namine, you have to get through to Roxas. He must be stopped, if not, things will just get worse from here on out." Namine didn't really get the chance to decipher Larxene's words inside her head as she was quickly pulled to her feet, a kunai shoved straight to her throat.

The girl to say the least was surprised from the assault, taking a hold of Larxene's arm as she tried to pry her off. She shivered where she stood, her eyes reflecting her fear of death. Sora and Riku growled deeply, staying where they were in order not to risk Namine's safety while being provided as a hostage.

Larxene smirked confidently, feeling the girl squirm a little in her arms. She bowed her head in order to whisper inside Namine's ear, causing the girl to shutter, "I'm not going to kill you. I'm still the Larxene you were just talking to not too long ago; I just can't afford to blow my cover yet in front of your friends. Got that?" The girl nodded, becoming calm towards the situation.

"I don't want to let these keyblade goody two-shoe heroes know what I'm up to; so, make you're acting look good!" The girl nodded in agreement, gasping in shock as Larxene shoved her towards Sora and Riku; it was something she didn't expect to happen right away.

Sora caught Namine as she was thrown to him, glaring at Larxene for her mistreatment towards the girl. Riku looked ready to battle against the woman, summoning up a dark flare out of his hand.

It was until Namine's soft voice broke through the air that he halted his magic, "Wait! Don't fight her!" They all looked over at the girl, though Larxene with a more discouraging look. Namine gulped, realizing she had to improvise, "She…she can lead us where Roxas is!" Sora and Riku gazed at the girl skeptically, not finding her proposal to be a reliable suggestion to take.

Larxene took great care over Namine's implication, going along with it, "That's right, if you want to stop Roxas from taking your friend's heart; I suggest you that you let me go. I promise, no tricks." She cleaned off the inside of her sleeves to accentuate her meaning.

"Alright, we'll just have to trust you." Riku grudgingly replied, noticing how Sora wanted to protest; he signaled his hand up at him though so he couldn't argue with him.

"You better now be tricking us, Larxene!" Sora exclaimed carefully, shielding Namine behind him.

"Would this face lie to you?" She replied huskily, cackling loudly as she received no reply. She straightened her back up, finding her merriment of amusement to be over, "You guys sure are stiffs. Fine, let's go stop your nobody hero!" She turned around, giving a wink at Namine as a job well done in lying to the boys; there may be hope for her yet.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Namine." Sora quietly spoke to the girl, the three of them chasing after the woman ahead as she took off into the humid wilderness.

'_I'm contemplating the same thing, Sora. You don't have no idea…but…I'm willing to go with trusting Larxene to her word…I'm reaching the end soon…whether I like it or not…as long as my memories remain inside Roxas…nothing else matters….'_ The girl silently responded inside her mind with a solemn expression. She could hear Larxene up ahead, explaining how they were close to the center of the island, expecting Roxas and the others to be there. The message only made her nervous, her stomach performing multiple flips as the acid from within dissolved her inner light. She kept herself in pace with Riku and Sora, refusing to give into her weakness just yet.

She glanced down at her hands as she felt something slowly consuming her, dragging her to an abyss that matched beyond the lurking darkness ahead.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

As the darkness consumed Roxas's judgment, he twisted his keyblades around in his hands, the group in front of him waiting in anticipation for his strike. He grinned teasingly, choosing both his keyblades to commence the attack he was preparing to perform on Peter's heart. He pulled them back, Peter and the others wincing in fright as they didn't have the ability to defend at the moment.

Luck soon came to them though, Roxas halting his pose. He turned around, hearing some rustling going on in the woods behind him. He glared towards the area with distaste, not liking the idea of being disturbed again from his task. His eyes grew wide though when he realized the group who had stepped out of the bushes were Sora, Riku, and Namine; Larxene stepping out in front.

His face masked a solemn expression, not wanting to reveal his hesitation. He gazed at Namine the whole time while she stared back at him, her face contorting to an expression of despair.

"Roxas…" She enabled to murmur out softly, finding herself to be frozen where she was as she lightly embraced herself.

He looked at her for a second, finding her to have cast a spell on him; he turned away quickly from her though, refusing to give into her disease of false affection.

Sora and Riku though weren't going to take his presence so lightly, seeing him nothing more than an enemy right now. The brunette was the first to speak among the open area of the scene, "Roxas, don't do this!"

The blonde rolled his eyes in annoyance, slugging his keyblades in his hands, "Not this again. You're starting to sound like a broken record." Riku growled fiercely at him, "Look, you can still stop this! Don't let the darkness control you!" He tried to not act irrational towards the situation, finding them to be in a serious quandary.

"Oh, and you would know all about that; wouldn't you pretty boy?" Roxas remarked harshly, breaking Namine's spirit from his crude and cruel words. She clenched her hands to her chest, her eyes becoming glossy with unshed tears, "Roxas, please! Come back to us!" She wanted to say to her, but her words wouldn't come out clearly for her to say it to him.

"You witch, it's because of you and your powers that I'm not able to be myself." Roxas spitted out with an angry snarl, stunning Namine to be hurt from his comment.

Sora's eyes bugled in resentment, "Are you listening to yourself! How can you say that to her! Is that what Xemnas told you?" Roxas was slightly hesitant to answer that question, "This is Namine! The person you _**love**_! I know you remember her, Roxas!" Larxene observed the scene in front of her, edging her eyes over to Roxas to see if they had any effect on him; she clenched her lips shot with anxiety as she saw multiple appearances on his face.

"I don't need to be fed with your lies. I know what's truly important in my memories…. and that's to complete Kingdom Hearts…" The boy replied calmly, the sun already setting down to nightfall as his figure became engulfed by the haunting shadows of the trees around them.

Namine shook her head, pressing herself forward, "No! Roxas! Stop this!" She was prepared to run towards him, willing to do anything to convince and revive his memories back; she was stopped though when Minx spoke out abruptly, "Where's my brother?" She lowly remarked, scanning the area with her night vision eyes, finding him to be nowhere in sight.

"I said where is he, you bastards!" She began to lose her patience, now becoming hysterical. She took a wry glance over at Larxene, "You! You have something to do with this! Don't you! I'll kill you, you bitch!" She summoned all of her powers to create a pink and black aura around her, aiming her bow at the woman as her arrows multiplied around her.

This display of power alarmed Sora and his friends, all of them jumping to the side as the arrows were released. Larxene was able to jump up upon a tree branch, swallowing a gulp of saliva from the close call, _'She's acting irrational. Then again, I did kill her brother after all; but she doesn't __**entirely **__know that.'_ An evil glint shined across Larxene's eyes, forming an alibi to appear inside her devious mind.

"Hey pinky! Before you start pointing and shooting your little magic sticks! Why don't you ask them where your brother is?" She pointed over at Sora and Riku, causing them to become confounded from her lie.

"Larxene! You liar!" Sora announced in anger, already defending himself from an arrow that was coming his way. He was able to make Minx miss her mark on him, but he only created the girl's anger to evolve twice fold. Riku stood behind him, creating a crystallized force field around them to block-off her onslaught of deadly arrows.

Larxene whispered to herself, feeling slightly guilty for using Sora and Riku as pawns for her plan, "Sorry guys, nothing too personal; just needed to leave those two alone over there." And right on cue with her words, Larxene turned over to the two unsuspecting blondes.

Namine groaned as she picked herself up, making her way towards Roxas. She limped forward, finding her body to be weak against her damaged soul, "Roxas…" He gave her a forestalling stare, formulating a strategy in his head to get her away from him.

Minx noticed the girl's approach, turning away from the two-keyblade wielders in front of her to aim an arrow at the unaware witch. Larxene gasped in alarm, holding herself steady, as she couldn't give away her cover. Sora though broke out of Riku's barrier, making his way towards the girl in order to save her. Namine turned around, feeling the wicked aura bellow around her. She gasped in fright as the arrow was released, shooting towards her at great speed. Sora gritted his teeth roughly, becoming afraid that he wasn't going to make it in time to save her. Just when Namine's end looked possible, a dark hooded figure came in front of her, bypassing the arrow with his keyblades. He caused the long dart to beam up at the night sky, his keyblades echoing and shimmering through the silence of the night. Everyone heaved in surprise, finding the person to have saved Namine to be the young thirteenth member himself. Larxene silently congratulated the boy for his success, finding some hope to still be left in his memories from protecting the angelic witch.

Minx was startled by the display, questioning Roxas's intentions right away, "Roxas! What the hell do you think you're doing!" She demanded him to answer, not caring if he ranked above her in the Organization.

"Shut your damn mouth, Minx…" The boy spoke, his tone rumbling dangerously as he lifted his head up at her. She was frightened to see the look in his glowing yellow eyes, deciding to calm herself before he had the opportunity and desire to kill her.

He glared at the girl, turning over to Hook, and then everyone around him, "Now, if there isn't any further interruption, let me do what I came here for." He turned around, becoming disquieted as he was met with Namine's alluring light blue eyes; that even amongst the darkness that surrounded them, it couldn't dare to cover them from his sight.

"Move." He bluntly said, his eyes fixating and focusing on her as he threatened her with his tone.

Everyone waited in anticipation as Namine shook her head lightly at him, "No…" She reprimanded stubbornly, "You saved me…why?" She wanted and needed to know, sensing his memories to be stirring, "You remember me, don't you?" Larxene watched the scene carefully, not knowing what to expect next as this was the final conclusion to her plan.

He creased eyes firmly, "I have no memories of you, besides the ones you put in for your own amusement, witch." She ignored the term that always hurt her, giving him a soft smile, "No, you know that's wrong. I know you're scared, Roxas…but you don't have to be…as long as we can fight this together…so please…" Namine's tears sprang forth, but she ignored them, placing her hands over his shoulders, "Remember me? Just as I remember you…"

He gasped slightly from her choice of words, memories of them together flashing through his head as he recalled saying something similar. He gripped his head, perspiration breaking through his skin, moaning uncomfortably, "No…" He then had disturbing images burst through his enigma mind, but they seemed to tell him things he wished not to see.

Namine tried to hold onto him, using her powers to see what was wrong, but she was pushed away callously by him. She hit the ground, Sora ripping his way towards her side.

Roxas glanced down at her, becoming agitated with the affection she gave him through her eyes. He resisted looking at her any longer, turning away from her presence. Namine tried to go after him, but Sora held her in place with his hands on her shoulders. She requested for him to release her, but he refused to, becoming concern for her well being; it didn't seem like she noticed her body to be clear.

Roxas heatedly ordered Larxene to hold Hook back from interfering, "Let's end this quickly!" He stipulated, blocking out the tearful calls Namine gave out.

"Roxas! STOP IT!" She cried out, finding herself to be trapped in Sora's arms. The keyblade warrior turned to his best friend, "Riku!"

"I'm on it!" He replied confidently, charging forward in hopes of stopping Roxas.

He flared up a spell in his hand, firing a bullet of magic at the blonde, but he was able to block it with his keyblade. Roxas motioned Minx to handle Riku, making a beeline towards Peter and his friends. They struggled to get up, but each time they tried to move Peter would scream and wince out in pain, finding his wounds from Minx's arrows to be severe.

The cherry blossom girl stepped in front of the silver teenager, smiling viciously at him, "You won't be playing with the darkness today." Riku growled at the girl, using his keyblade to counter her attacks.

As this went on, Larxene drew her knifes out through her hands, keeping watch on the Captain like she was ordered to. She cussed inside her head, finding everything to have come so close, only to have it all fall apart. She declined to see what was to become of the flying and rambunctious boy of Neverland, finding the mission to have gone both ways in being a failure.

Roxas approached the boy, "All of you, back off." They all shook their heads, staying loyal to Peter by staying by his side and protecting him. This of course angered Roxas, lashing out at them with his suspenseful control of the darkness, forcing them back with the dark energy he held.

"Now with those pests off you, I can finally get that heart; we don't need such a thing to exist inside a weakling child like you." He spoke maliciously, bringing his keyblades back before bringing them forward with one foul swoop. He could hear the echoes of the night scream as the blades made contact with the young boy's flesh, plunging deeply inside his chest for the heart that pulsed inside.

"**Roxas! No!**" Namine gave out a shattering cry, her world go dim and colorless in a sporadic moment of truth; her Roxas had turned into something she didn't want to describe or even define. Her tears fell helplessly down her face, her body going limp in Sora's arms. The brunette looked down, finding the girl's appearance to be completely different; he gasped to notice that she was not only translucent, but there was a faint shadow inside her that was growing.

The girl's eyes became voided of any emotion, the twinge of light that was left in her eyes sinking deeper into the chasm of her empty core. She shed one last tear, one that reflected off of Roxas's lethal form as he pulled out the keyblades from Peter's chest, bringing his heart out right with them. Blood splattered and leaked everywhere, leaving everyone to become flustered and speechless.

Peter slowly began to fall, his body crumbling behind him; he turned to Wendy and the boys, giving them one last smile, "Don't let them see you cry…" He closed his eyes as he let the darkness take him in, accepting his fate as he youth was over.

"PETER!" Wendy shouted, running towards the boy with great effort in catching him. Tinkerbell woke up at this time from her call, noticing the fallen boy she had admired and taken care of for years. She silently cried in distress, forcing her wings to adjust as she flew towards his side. The boys dashed forward as well, surrounding the older youth as Wendy held on to him. Tinkerbell showered the fading boy with her pixie dust, hoping and praying for someway for him to recover and fly to the sky like he always did; but it was futile, the darkness already surrounding him as it began to break his body apart.

With one final breath, Peter whispers softly, "Take care…" He then had a burst of darkness come through him, erasing his body and dissolving it into nothing more than black smoke.

"No! Peter!" Wendy burst out crying, the boys doing the same as they planted their faces to their hands. They mourned for the lost of their heroic and rebellious friend, finding their faith to be washed away as they faced the reality of death; such a thing should not be witnessed or understood by children.

Roxas gazed down at the grieving group, showing no sympathy for them as he opened up a portal to the darkness, "Let's go…" Namine winced from the coldness of his voice, lowering her head down to the ground as she felt her insides burn and tickle with exhaustion and despair.

Larxene closed her eyes, sighing with frustration of how wrong things have gotten, it was too disciple to even describe. She was the first to enter the portal, finding no need in prolonging the event in staying in her memory. Minx followed after her with a tremendous angry look on her face, she snarled at the back of Larxene's head; she had a feeling that her brother's death had something to deal with her, she just needed the right moment for the truth to come out.

As they all gathered inside, Roxas took slow steps towards the vortex, but not without turning back to see Namine's broken form. He gave her a look that was hard to describe, his eyes showing hints of formality of devotion and affection; but it was soon washed away, leaving him with no other option but to place the heart away inside his coat and leave after the others.

As he was fully engulfed by the gateway, the purple and black substance disappeared in a quick swirling motion. It vanished into thin air, leaving no hints or remains of the Nobodies who escaped through the darkness's domain.

Riku went over to Sora and Namine soon afterwards, finding the girl's situation to be severe. She gazed up at Sora and Riku's concern faces before breaking down once more, not caring if she disappeared or not at that moment.

Tinkerbell fell to the ground where Peter had once been, her ability to fly diminishing with the boy who made her believed. Wendy held onto the boys who huddled against her, seeking the warmth of a mother after losing a person dear to them. Hook looked over at the group, finding to be lost and alone for the first time; if felt like he had lost all-purpose to the world known as Neverland. He was always chasing the boy, challenging him over and over again in a wild goose chase inside a never-ending cycle, but now; that cycle was broken, leaving never to be forever.

"Dammit, Roxas…" Sora whispered hoarsely, grabbing hold of Namine's transparent form, the light fading into the thick darkness that was growing.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "Well, another chapter written and completed. I keep lying to you guys over how much chapters we have left, but now, I have the final results! The remaining number of chapters left for TWYRM is a total of **8**. I know, I keep changing everything, but this time, I got everything figured out of how this story is going to end. I shall be working on them right away each time I update, because, I _**really**_ want to get this story done and over with. It has been a long time running and it needs to end so I can work on the damn sequel already. Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and again, keep reviewing! And for those who haven't yet, please do so I can know you exist!"

Sora: "Title to the next chapter is "Assembling the Pieces."


	31. Assembling the Pieces

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "400+ REVIEWS!!! 400+ REVIEWS!!! I can't get enough of saying that, 400+ REVIEWS!!!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and have kept my spirits alive for so long! I've been having a bad week, but I wasn't going to let it get me down in updating this. As far as all my other Namixas stories go, I think this one is the one that I'll be taking full concentration on. Also, cheers and love to _**shadowofthenightxx**_ for being the 400th reviewer! Thank you so much for breaking a new record, all my love goes out to YOU my friend."

Chapter 31 Assembling the Pieces

As soon as the dark portal opened and returned them to the sanctuary of _Castle that Never Was_, Roxas collapsed to the floor, heaving heavily as the trip took its toll on him. He gripped his chest, grinding his teeth together as he grimaced towards the pain that was consuming his being. He cussed under his breath, finding the sensation to have a negative effect on him after his encounter with the white witch. He panted, coughing madly as he tried to catch his breathing; he felt something pulse weakly within him, clogging his mind to be a jumbled mess. He soon caught notice of two huge feet under his hooded gaze, perching themselves in front of him. He slowly took his eyes off of them, traveling up the figure's broad and cloaked body.

He sighed thickly through his nose, catching the image of Xemnas above him, grinning down at him with pure delight of pride. He ignored the expression the man gave him, struggling to lift his frail body up from the ground. He rustled his hand inside of his coat's pocket, extracting the heart he had taken from Peter before dumping it onto the man's awaiting hand.

"Mission…-cough-…Complete." He stumblingly remarked while clearing his throat, seeing as he was plagued in breathing correctly through his vocal cords. Larxene watched over Roxas with a careful and intense look, becoming disturbed by the reaction.

She turned away, clucking her tongue under her breath, _'Dammit, we were so close…__**she**__ was so close…'_ She referred the moment when Namine was at the brink in getting Roxas back, only to be defeated by the horrifying darkness that loomed over him. There truly was no hope left, unless some type of miracle of the light decided to make itself visible during the short period of time they had left.

The unnerved woman turned to the girl that was next to her, feeling the daggers that Minx was trying to stab her with from her eyes. She scuffed at the midget, finding her to be an annoyance; though the feeling was mutual. The emerald eyes that both females possessed taking battle against each other, watching for who would blink first. Childish? Yes, but well worth it for Larxene.

They soon shook out of their stare down as Xemnas spoke with gratification, "Simply splendid, you've outdone yourself again, Roxas. I hope there wasn't any complications from your mission." Larxene waited for the boy to answer as his back became stiff, "Just a minor one, but it doesn't provide to be a true threat quite yet."

"I'm predicting that it deals with the young witch that travels with your other half?" Larxene cringed, gripping her hands so hard that her leather screeched and twisted in aggravation from the pull.

Roxas was solemn from the question, finding the issue to be perplexing as Sora's words came back to him, "You can say that, but I wouldn't concern yourself with that, Superior; I can handle myself." He reassured the leader of the Nobodies, calling forth a smirk to appear on his dark tan face.

"I am pleased to hear that, now then…" He gaped down at the heart that was in his hand, vapors of darkness tainting the precious item, "This will do well in helping us complete Kingdom Hearts. Soon, we will be done with what we have been trying to obtain for so long. With all the hearts we have gathered, we can finally make them one with Kingdom Hearts; and then, we can finally control the hearts of others who refused to sympathize with us nothingness." He spoke crustily and vengefully.

His speech sparked interest in Roxas, "When is the next mission?" Xemnas gazed over at the trio, beckoning Minx and Larxene to take their leave. The girls had no choice but to follow the Superior's orders, taking their leave through their own dark channels, disappearing quickly.

Xemnas cast his gold eyes back on Roxas, finding the boy to be waiting for his answer, "I'm sure you are aware about the enemy's motives in trying to get through our world?" He nodded at the man, signaling for him to continue, "With all the hearts we have gathered and collected, we only need one more item left to complete the transformation of Kingdom Hearts to be final. I must ask this of you Roxas as your last participating task from outside our world."

"What is it you want me to do?" He asked inquisitively, edging his body forward with eagerness.

"Patients, my friend. I shall be sharing with you the information in due time, for now, just rest. The next world that will be assigned to you will take a dramatic toll on your mind, but remember, don't fall pray to the witch's powers; for it shall cause you to fail your mission."

Roxas spoke confidently, showing no fear from the man's meticulous words, "I'll be sure to avoid her; she won't be able to control me so easily."

There was an uncomfortable silence though when Xemnas gave him a stern look of disapproval, "I'm afraid this new mission will be too impossible for you to evade her; so, I be wise with your words."

The hooded thirteenth member gave the man a quizzical look, not understanding how to take the information. He showed signs in wanting to ask, but Xemnas turned him down from answering anything any further until he had his rest; and so, Roxas left the man where he was, finding him to be busy with the heart he gave him. He left the hall through his own portal of darkness, extracting the source to appear in the middle of the hall before entering its domain. He looked back at the craze man behind him, wondering if he should say something about his memories, but he shook it off, not wanting to be suspicious. The portal closed around him, leaving him to fall into the abyss until he found the channel to his room. There was only one place where he wanted to be; and that was to sleep on his stiff and blank bed with nothing to dream about besides the empty darkness that silently sang him a lullaby.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

"There you go, Namine. Are you okay?" Riku asked the young and mute blonde, easing her inside the Gummi ship. He gave her a look of concern, seeing as she didn't reply to his question; she was immobile with her body, gripping a hand to her wrist to resist the invisibility that was creeping up her skin. They knew they had to act fast, finding her condition to be worse than before. They didn't know if it was because of their recent encounter with Roxas, but it sure had sprouted something.

He decided not to bring up the subject of the Nobody boy, taking his gaze off the girl as he sat her down on the passenger seat, "Sora is unlocking the keyhole to darkness here in Neverland right now. Tinkerbell is showing him the way; when he comes back, we'll be heading back to Radiant Garden. When we do, we'll explain what happened to King Mickey and decide about our final destination to Twilight Town." The girl seemed to flinch from the name of the golden and orange town; the world containing so many memories of her and Roxas when they had first met.

Riku noticed the movement of her body, creasing his face to be serious, "Namine…"

"I know." She replied meekly, hugging her body, "I know…" She whimpered silently, closing her mind off from the resurfacing memories that contained nothing more than pain right now to her empty chest.

The older teen gave the girl a look of sympathy, eyeing the transmission cord soon afterwards, "I should call Kairi, and let her know where to meet us." He jumped over, entering the small compartment of the ship; he idly ignored Namine as she decided to ignore him, taking out the speaker while passing the call through, "Kairi? Are you there?" There was static, so he waited for a bit for her to pick up.

Namine brought her legs up, wrapping her arms around her reddened knees, _'Roxas…Roxas…Roxas…'_ She clenched her eyes shut, resisting the urge to cry in front of Riku, she didn't want any pity; she had to keep herself strong, despite over what happened.

She looked up through her arms as she heard Kairi's voice patch through, "Riku! Is that you?" The boy nodded, reliving a sigh, "Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but, isn't this Sora's ship?" She began to panic, thinking something had happened to the jovial boy, "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Riku began to calm her down, "He's fine, he's unlocking the keyhole to darkness in Neverland right now; a lot has happened that we need to discuss. I need you, Donald, and Goofy to start heading back to Radiant Garden, we'll meet you guys there." He sternly spoke, his eyes becoming severe, shading them to become a darker green.

"I got it. We'll see you guys there then." She replied daringly, trusting in his firm judgment.

"Alright." And with that, they both cut off the line, Riku placing the speaker back where it was.

He turned to look at Namine who had a blank stare, her aura losing the glow she once had held. He wanted to comfort the girl, but the words that kept bubbling inside his throat wouldn't just come out so easily to the surface through his lips. He sat next to her though, having had a conversation with her from before; though this time, all seemed pointless in trying to convey his thoughts to her. He gripped his hands, clearing his throat as he tried to summon up the courage.

Just when he thought he had something, Namine hushed him right away, "Don't…" She simply said in a dead tone, catching the sight of his lips moving as if he was about to speak.

That one word was all Riku needed, letting out a sigh as he looked out into the cockpit. It wasn't long until he spotted Sora's dispirited form come out of the bushes, his keyblade clutched tightly in his hand as he made his way over to the ship. He glanced up at Riku who was prepared to jump out of the ship, "I unlocked the keyhole, we should be good to go now." The older male nodded acutely, showing his graceful agile skills as he landed off the ship, "Good, I told Kairi already to meet us back at Radiant Garden." The keyblade warrior nodded scarcely, his expression showing slight confidence that was mixed with his invisible turmoil.

"Be strong, Sora." The older teen reprimanded softly to his best friend, finding that he couldn't let him lose hope just yet.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." The boy replied to him harshly, "I'm just grieving is all, you weren't the one to say goodbye to them last." Riku was slightly hurt from the jab, Sora continuing his words, "I'm not going to let it all end like this, I'm going to free Kingdom Hearts, and stop the Organization."

"What about Roxas?" Riku asked gravely, remembering Sora's frustration towards his darker self.

The young hero looked up at his Gummi ship, seeking the sight of the witch that was inside. His expression contained a front of sincerity, "What else? I'm going to bring him back home, even if I have to beat the living daylights out of him." He returned his sight over to the sliver teen, giving him a vibrant grin, "Let's go, I won't let Peter's heart be taken so easily to the darkness."

Riku was amused by the boy's undying spirit, feeling him to be truly worthy as the known Keyblade Hero who had opened the door to light, "Alright then, we're heading back to Radiant Garden!" He spoke aloud, heading towards his ship while gearing up for them to take their leave.

Sora nodded with determination, fixing his mind to think straight before smacking his cheeks to clarify his thoughts. He looked up at the Gummi Ship, climbing onboard the vessel as he pressed the button to close the lid. He looked over at Namine who was still in the same fatal position as she was before with Riku. The male brunette just kept silent, leaving the girl alone to her thoughts as he sat himself down on the driver seat. He clicked and switched open the glitches, igniting the engines to start running as everything began to light up. The colorful lights on the panel control glowed and reflected off of his skin, bringing lights to become dull in Namine's hazy eyes. He looked back at the girl, hoping she was happy to leave, but her condition remained unchanged, her hand still containing the tight grip she had on her wrist upon her lifted knees. Sora gave her a displeased look of disappointment, shaking his head as he turned away from her to place his hands on the wheel. He reared the junction back, the ship beginning to take flight as it lifted itself off the ground. He spotted Riku's ship not too far off, already taking speed in leaving the world. He took a glance over at Namine's lifeless form one more time before exiting the world.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

"God Dammit!" Larxene punched the wall near her with the side of her closed fist, gripping the leather tightly as her muscles clenched. She had teleported herself somewhere inside the castle, wanting to avoid confrontation with the others. She seemed to be out of luck though, seeing as she heard a gust of wind pass by behind her, indicating that a dark portal had opened. She turned around and rolled her eyes, finding her guest to be none other than the annoying little girl known as _The Gazing Straight Arrow_.

"Oh great! What the hell do you want?" Larxene was annoyed, her mood didn't perform well to have a calm conversation right now; she was extremely pissed off, and when she was…well…you were just asking for trouble.

"Why Larxene, it seems like you have lost your cool. I wonder why that is?" The little gremlin snidely remarked, lifting her head up a bit as she gazed wickedly at the woman.

"You better watch it, you little bitch; besides, I'm not the one who blew a casket when she couldn't find dear brother anywhere." Larxene had to dodge a wrathful arrow that came straight at her after she had said that.

"You shut the hell up! I know you had something to do with his death!" The girl clarified angrily, her once green eyes turning into a nasty black.

"Woah, almost got me there." The older woman spoke with slight amusement and ridicule, "If I recall, you were the one who believed in my words."

"So you admit it! You do have something to do with his death, damn you!" The girl summoned up another arrow between her fingers, letting the aura of darkness consume around the pink dart as she pulled her bow in set. She aimed carefully, ready to fire at any time. Larxene took position, sliding forth her knifes between her slim fingers; but before the female nobodies could participate in their fueling duel, Saix appeared discreetly from the shadows.

"That's enough!" His voice boomed heavily, alarming them both to halt their movements.

Larxene stood herself up, "Thanks for ruining the fun there, Saix."

"Save your energy for the next mission up ahead; you'd be wise to follow my advice." He spoke sternly, flicking his hair to the side off his shoulders a bit.

She completely ignored the man, not wanting to set his rage to go berserk. She walked passed the small girl, finding their feud to be cut off, "I'll be here anytime you need me, little troll."

As she passed the mini nobody, the young girl spoke evilly, "Next time, there will be no interruptions."

The shrewd woman grinned with excitement, "I'll be taking that as a challenge." She veered herself, heading for her room as she passed Minx and Saix, a smirk etching itself on her face.

"Keep an eye out for her." Saix suddenly spoke, confusing Minx for a moment before she agreed with his statement.

He vanished into a void of darkness, leaving the small girl on her own in the white empty hall. She compressed her face to a glare, her body growing rigid as her anger boiled, "Just you wait…just you wait…I'll be revealing your treachery soon…"

And with a vow to herself, Minx took off to her own dormitory for the night until the next mission was announced clearly to them.

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Roxas slept disjointedly in his bed, tossing and turning as he tried to repress the memories that were burning inside his head. He gripped his skull, growling in pain as he tried to lock the broken chains together again. A lone tear graced down his cheek from his strictly closed eyes, summoning his body up to move on its own from the bed. He gripped the cool window, rain pedaling against the glass as he fogged the cold window with his heaving and warm breath. He finally revealed his golden orbs between the close lids of his eyes, relishing in the beauty and artifact of Kingdom hearts in the sky. He furrowed at the sight of it, feeling something unsettling grow inside of his hollow chest.

"Dammit…" He gripped the leather of his coat tightly as he felt his lungs constrict inside, almost as if being squeezed by a forceful hand. He smashed his forehead against the glass pavement as he tried to relinquish the swell, "Why…stop it…. Nami…" He groaned from the tautness, tears cascading down more freely as memories kept shattering in front of him one by one.

After the episode, Roxas found himself on the cold ground of his room, picking up his sore body as it ached heavily. He coughed a few times, his head spinning around the room as he tried to adjust his vision. He got everything to be cleared out for a moment, gazing up at Kingdom Hearts as it brought the moonlight into his room to glow. He listened to the synchrony and melody of the rain, hitting the window from the dew that fell from the murky purple sky.

He coughed silently to himself, his eyes containing a hint of shadows to appear under them, "I hope the next mission will go smoothly." He prayed for it, the disease inside him already beginning to take its toll on him.

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Riku was the first to land upon the open space behind Merlin's house, Sora and Namine following right after him. They settled the engines off, creating puff of steam to come out of the end of the airborne vehicles. Kairi rushed out of the house first, Merlin giving chase behind her as he tried to keep his well-known blue hat on. Pluto came out of the house next, barking loudly as he galloped with merriment. Riku pressed the lid open, being the first to get out of his ship. Merlin greeted him first thing, reporting to the old wizard over what had happened. Kairi waited with Pluto by Sora and Namine's ship, anticipating their exit off the ship.

The brunette inside smiled and waved at the princess, relieved to see that she was safe and unharmed. He gazed over at the house, spotting Goofy and Donald who were also happy to see their old partner's return. He beamed with satisfaction, taking pleasure in seeing his friends again at Radiant Garden. His smile was wiped out though in an instant, catching the fragile frame of the sweet and remote blonde behind him. He edged himself off his seat, taking hold of her stiff and attached arms, hoping to pry some reaction from her since their departure from Neverland, "Namine…"

The girl kept still, her head slightly peeking out from under her arms, revealing her swollen blue eyes. Sora tried to smile at her, her expression dimming his spirit down a bit, "We've arrived back at Radiant Garden; we need to get out." She gave him an emotionless look, as if she didn't comprehend what he was saying, "Can you get up?" He asked, remembering her visibility to be critical.

She soon unlaced the tangles she had on her arms, exposing her body freely; or, what was left of it at least. Sora gasped from the sight, holding her elbows as he inspected the clear pigment of her skin more closely, "Namine…" He gritted his teeth behind his closed mouth, _'So, it's gotten this bad, huh?'_

"Please…"

He rapidly took his gaze on the girl's face, her voice breaking the stillness and depth of the air inside the ship, "I don't want them to see me like this…if you can; can you just leave me here until it's time we left?" She asked with a sincere quality to her voice, her face resembling a lost child.

Sora took deep thought over her request, sighing heavily as he made a decision, "Alright, you can stay here until we leave."

She nodded with gratitude, "Thank you." She then proceeded to return to her former position, Sora having disrupted it when they had arrived. He looked at the girl laboriously, not knowing what else to do or say. He soon pressed the button to bring the shield up, gazing at the girl once more before deciding to jump out. He landed perfectly on the ground with his large feet to cushion him from the fall. He laughed lightly as Kairi's arms engulfed him, holding her tightly to him as she rejoiced in seeing him again; that didn't last long though, becoming frighten in seeing the new battle scars that were inflicted on the boy's tender body.

"Sora! What happened?" She soon had something else perk her concern, "And where's Namine?" She pleaded for him to answer, her maternity senses springing forth.

"Namine's fine, she's inside the ship." He soon furthered his explanation, "She rather be alone for a bit; if you guys wouldn't mind." Kairi shook her head, indicating him that it was fine with her; but it did worry the girl tremendously to know what was going on.

Riku called out to them, "We should head inside; we'll explain all the details in Merlin's living room." They all agreed, heading over to the large hut that held the Restoration committee's headquarters.

Namine glanced over the clear window of the ship, spotting her friends enter inside the hut. She sighed lightly, bringing herself back over to her seat. She only had one thought process inside her head, _'Roxas…'_ She soon closed her tired eyes, gripping her body tightly as she prayed for a dream to come; but it never did, the darkness also leaving her to disappear alone. And so, she decided to take her attention on something else she kept hidden.

Sora closed the door behind him, spotting a tear stricken Minnie who Riku was trying to comfort. He gave sympathy to the Queen, overhearing his best friend's voice over the room, "I'm sorry, your highness…"

"Oh~hh, Mickey…" She wallowed over her tears, crying softly from the news that was given to her over Mickey's capture.

Sora took this time to input his valiant words, "Don't worry, your highness! I promise you! I'll get King Mickey back safely to you; you have my word!" He bravely proclaimed, his tone unfaltering and strong, showing no doubt inside his heart.

Minnie gave the young boy a charming smile, breaking away the calamity of her tears, "Thank you, Sora. You truly are a kind boy." He smiled from her comment, his friends providing him an encouraging smile.

The scar that was on Sora's face though, reminded Kairi over her worry, "Sora, how did you get that scar?" She was afraid that it was going to be permanent, the gash showing a pink indent of his skin near across his face, starting slightly from his left eye.

He touched the mark on his face, grimacing over the surface of it as he felt the deep cut on his skin, "Oh, this…well…"

He began to explain about what had occurred at Neverland, giving every detail of the event, including their encounter with Roxas. As soon as he was done, everyone gave a look of negativity towards the situation; they all fumbled with their fingers, attempting to itch their fears away. When Sora was done, he noticed the silence that engulfed the room, gulping a bit over how everyone was reacting.

He decided to continue his speech, being the only one to have his voice still in check, "We have no time left, I suggest we head for their base right away."

Riku decided to rebut at this time, "We can't just do that; even if the force field of darkness has weakened around their world. We might just end up just like King Mickey and fall right into their trap, and be captured; we can't make the same mistake twice."

Sora frowned flippantly, his blue eyes becoming downcast, "You're right…" They all began to formulate another plan in breaking through the enemy's fortress.

Riku spoke up to remind them about Mickey's former plan, "Remember what the King said? If we can't make it directly to their world, there's always the chance we can make it through if we go to Twilight Town."

Sora flinched from the town's name, knowing it probably wouldn't be best for Namine to head to such a destination quite yet; but it would seem like they had no other choice. Kairi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, knowing he was thinking the same thing as she was. Goofy and Donald sympathized with their friend, finding the world to be critical to the blonde's thoughts and memories.

Riku understood the conflict towards the situation, but he knew they had to pursue, "I know the pressure we're in, but we have to go in order to save King Mickey and stop the Organization from completing Kingdom Hearts." They all nodded in understanding agreement, fixing the weight to their bodies in order to look confident and poised.

"Ya'll better get going then." Cid announced, fiddling with his twig between crushed teeth.

Sora nodded, glancing over to everyone that was in the room. He predicted this was his last farewell to them for now; that was until their return from _The World That Never Was_. He brought himself over to everyone that surrounded them, centering himself in the room; he became melancholy though, the absent of his parents affecting him greatly.

"Your majesty, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith…everyone; we'll be back soon. I promise!" He claimed happily, keeping his heart pure and optimistic.

Minnie nodded gracefully, Jiminy perching himself on her shoulder, "You be careful now, you hear?" He spoke carefully, holding his hat securely in place.

"We'll all be waiting here for your return." Aerith spoke humbly, having faith in them as she gave them her prayer.

Yuffie patted Sora's back, "You make sure not to get yourself all banged up again, okay knucklehead? You're Leon's son after all, so buck up!" Sora nodded, a grin spreading onto his face.

Merryweather, Fauna, and Flora all gave them luck, giving them their blessings with their pixie magic. Kairi bid farewell to the three fairies, explaining how they have a home now in Radiant Garden, despite losing their master. The three fairies agreed, deciding to take in Yuna, Paine, and Rikku as their apprentices as they began to train them further with their magic.

Riku, Kairi, Goofy, and Donald all began to take their leave, heading to the back where all the Gummi ships were. Cid, Chip, and Dale followed after them, deciding to give them one final tune up before they left and headed for the final battle. Sora stayed behind, remaining still and silent as he gazed directly down at Queen Minnie's eyes. Everyone, including Jiminy and Pluto left the house, giving the two followers of light some privacy.

When they heard the click to the door shut, Minnie took the sound as an indication to speak, "I do wish you luck, Sora." The boy nodded, but he knew that she was stalling, "How's Namine's condition?" She asked wry, as if she knew something that he didn't.

He answered honestly, "Not good; it's like she could disappear at any moment." She remained silent, her eyes becoming fixated on something on the floor that he couldn't see.

"Your majesty?" He asked aloud, becoming nervous from how she was acting.

"I'm sorry…" She apologized for her inelegance, "It would just seem like we truly have run out of time…" She sounded lost, almost like she had no hope left, "I fear that a dark future is upon us…"

Sora wanted to nudge her on, but the next words out of her mouth made his throat sore to speak anything further, "…And you won't be able to stop it this time."

He gave her a stern look, her words having little affect on him, although his heart was slightly altered to beat manically, "…Doesn't mean I'll be giving up…as long as I have my friends…I have all the power I need to face the darkness ahead."

She gave him a hesitant smile, "I suppose you're right…" She still looked doubtful though, "I guess all I can do…is have faith…" Sora nodded, ushering the Queen forward with his hand as he headed and opened the door, "I'm sure that's the reason why King Mickey loves you so much, your highness; so please, don't ever give up what your heart holds most dear." She smiled from his words, "Mickey was right, you truly are a Keyblade Master."

"No, your majesty…I'm not." And it was the truth.

She somehow knew what he meant, the both of them exchanging smiles as it conquered any last hesitation they had inside their hearts. They both headed outside, spotting Kairi and the others to be already onboard. Sora walked over to the Gummi vessel he and Namine shared, noticing Cid and the two chipmunks to be under the ship.

He bent his body down, holding onto his knees for balance, "So, what's the report?"

Cid wiped the sweat out of his brow, "Everything is in top shape, keep treating her right!" He reprimanded gruffly, showing pride towards his creation.

Sora chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, Cid; I'll make sure she won't get hurt." He soon got himself on board the ship, taking his seat in the cockpit. He brought the shield down, giving one last glance to his friends below. He waved at them for a moment, spotting Riku and Kairi ahead of him as they prepared their engines to their ships; Goofy and Donald decided to stick with Kairi, giving her company.

Sora switched the knobs on the panel, reviving the motor to the vessel. He gave a small smile, finding their adventure to be almost over, though it didn't take long for his smile to flip over. He was reminded over the events that had transpired, scrunching his hands as his muscles tensed and his gloves squeaked. He turned around, giving a slight glance over at Namine, discovering her delicate hands to be holding onto something. He found this as an improvement from her, taking it as a sign that she moved during some point inside the cockpit when he left. He couldn't recognize what the drawing was, but he did see some familiar scribbling of color on it from behind the white sheet. He decided not to ask about it though, taking his attention back on the controls as he began to lift them up into the air. He took full concentration on the galaxy that was ahead, finding the glittering stars among the darkness to be a beckon of light, leading them to their destination like a lit up road. He pressed forward, bringing flames to burst out from the gutter behind the craft, blasting them off behind Riku and the others.

While they began to make their way to the world known as Twilight Town, Namine took time to reflect as she gripped the paper tightly to her chest. She felt something pulse within her, a well-known feeling she always had kept hidden inside her memories. She closed her eyes, doing her best to block off such thoughts, finding them to be a hindrance to her plan. She carefully brought the paper away from her heaving chest, studying the drawing that she had drew back at Radiant Garden before they left to Neverland. She had to make sure that her and Roxas were alone for it to work; after all, it was her last option and attempt in getting him back, or losing him forever.

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Roxas stirred in his sleep as he heard a light knock on his door. He gave a disgruntled groan, struggling his best to pick himself off the floor, having given his head up to rest on the cool surface of the ground. He saw the shadows in his room dance as the rain blurred and sprinkled his room from the given reflection off the large window. He heard the knock go off again, but it sounded more to his head than anything. He finally urged his body forward, bringing himself up as he headed for the door. He opened it by using the white latch, becoming slightly surprised in seeing his Superior on the other side.

He strained his voice to speak, sounding hoarse as a cough escaped through his chapped lips, "What is it, Superior?"

"It's time to begin the next mission; this time, many of the members will be accompanying you to complete the assignment." He said simply, his voice smooth and crisp, "For you'll be confronting Sora and his friends."

Roxas started to feel nervous for the first time, dreading the location of their next mission. He spoke, allowing his feelings to surface a bit, "Sir, you still haven't confine to me where my next assignment will be yet." He reminded him warily, his body feeling ill and shaky.

The dark skinned man smirked with a sneaky brim of amusement, "You are to retrieve something very valuable to us; something we had lost a long time ago from our possession."

Roxas gulped silently as the man continued, resulting the boy's eyes to widen painfully slow, "You are to go to Twilight Town, collecting the witch that could manipulate memories; Namine." The name echoed inside his head, repeating itself among the hollow abyss that recalled the name in a low whisper that was drowned out from the darkness.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "Happy Halloween everyone! This is a treat for you guys to have ;D! Again, credit to _**shadowofthenightxx **_for being the 400th reviewer! Our next stop and chapter, Twilight Town! Don't forget to leave a review to tell me what you all thought of this chapter! Again, credit goes out to all of you for reviewing and keeping this story alive! SEVEN CHAPTERS LEFT!!!!"

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is "White Shadow". Stay tune!"


	32. White Shadow

Declaimer: "I do now own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "I love you guys, that's all I can say XD. Here's the next chapter!"

Chapter 32 White Shadow

Sora broke through the atmosphere of the world known as Twilight Town, making frequent glances at Namine. He expected some sort of reaction from her that dealt with depression, but all he saw was a look of determination in her eyes. He was surprised by the sudden change in her mood, but he took it as a good sign. He veered back the wheel, bracing the ship as they broke through the skies of the golden city.

He picked up the transmitter, calling Riku over, "Hey, Riku. Where are we supposed to land?"

The other boy responded smoothly, "Where do you think? We should all land at the opening space in front of the clock tower in the town." Namine stiffened from this, finding the monument of the clock tower/train station to be a big part of Roxas's memory.

Sora caught notice of her reaction, but continued to focus on his conversation with Riku, "If you say so."

"I already told Kairi." He clarified quickly, "So make sure you do the same."

"Don't worry about it, I will." Sora confidently announced, already gearing the ship to land.

They all landed their vessels across a clear and even path in front of the tower, all of them stepping out onto the smooth surface of the brick pavement. Sora though was remotely still inside the Gummi ship, gulping nervously as he turned to his companion, "Namine, how you doing?"

She knew he was asking about her status, the mistiness to her skin being obvious to the naked eye. She tried to control it, shutting her eyes tightly as she concentrated on the form of her body, remembering every bit of detail as she could. Luckily, they both got the results that they were looking for, causing them to sigh in relief. They knew the others were waiting for them to step out of the vehicle already, so they wasted no time in opening the glass lid to the vessel.

Namine quickly folded the drawing she had been holding on to, slipping the parchment into the security of her dress between her bosoms. She picked herself off her seat, following after Sora who gave his hand out to her. He held onto her as they both jumped off the ship, the others already waiting for them down below. Namine crouched further down when she landed, not being used to her reflexes and muscles, as she always relied on the boys to capture or carry her.

Sora's brotherly instincts came forth, "Namine, you okay?" She nodded slowly, "Don't worry, I'm fine; really." She picked herself off the ground, becoming tackled into a hug by Kairi, Goofy, and Donald.

"Namine! I haven't seen you in awhile!" Kairi hollered loudly, Donald speaking right after her, "We missed you!" The girl flushed with contentment and affection, embracing them all back as best as her small arms could, "I missed you guys too."

"I'm sorry to break the group session, but we really need to hurry." Riku steadily declared, sensing the darkness around them, "It's pretty thick here; I feel like I'm suffocating." He spoke lowly to himself, but Sora caught his voice through earshot, "So, you really think this is it?"

The older teen nodded sternly, "Yeah, we should hurry; the darkness is definitely strong here." He beckoned the others to follow him, already beginning to make his way down the street, "We should head for the mansion right away."

Namine stifled a bit from the boy's statement, Kairi noticing the girl's tense figure, "Namine?" Namine noticed she was making a scene, shaking her head in order to clear away her discomfort, "Don't worry, I'm fine." She smiled pleasantly, doing her best to reassure the redhead.

"Look!" Goofy suddenly proclaimed out of nowhere, pointing to the direction of Hayner, Olette, and Pence.

They all became startled, noticing the trio to be running away from something. Sora gasped in alarm when he caught sight of the things that were chasing them to be heartless. He, Donald, and Goofy drew out their weapons right away, the three of them taking position to fight. They jumped forward, Sora shouting over to the trio, "Get behind us!"

They did exactly what he ordered them to do, standing beside Riku and the girls. Namine became speechless from their presence, finding it strange that she was meeting them for the first time like this. She squirmed uneasily where she stood, noticing their stares at her, claiming to have not recognized her before; or Riku for that matter.

Donald cast the spell magnet, drawing the horde of heartless to them. Sora right away used firaga to burn them, casting thundaga next to stun them. Goofy finished the fight by using the ability known as tornado, sweeping the heartless as he spun around. Before they knew it, the battle was over, leaving them to be victorious from the short-lived confrontation.

"Man, they were pretty weak." Sora spoke with slight disappointment, bringing his keyblade over on his lanky shoulder.

"We shouldn't be complaining." Donald scolded the boy, feeling grateful towards the easy feat.

They heard Riku and the others walk up to them, turning to the group as they put away their weapons, "You shouldn't be so cocky, Sora. I rather we have easy heartless to deal with than difficult ones; it will make things easier for us." The silver-haired teen softly chastised, earning a pout to sprout from his best friend's face, "I know that!"

"If there's heartless here, that means we were right in coming here." Kairi commented coolly.

They all nodded, the Twilight gang becoming slightly intrigued over what they were talking about, "It's good to see you again too, Sora." Hayner playfully spoke, finding the boy's greeting to be delayed.

The brunette snapped out of his bubble, catching sight of the trio, "Hayner, Olette, Pence! Sorry guys!" He placed a hand on his hip while scratching the back of his brown mane with his other hand, "Almost forgot you were there." The three of them sighed from Sora's lack of awareness to things.

Kairi smiled at the group, feeling pleased in seeing them again, "It's been awhile. How are you guys doing?"

Pence decided to speak, holding onto the camera he had around his neck, "We were just taking pictures and hanging out, until out of nowhere those things came out and attacked us."

"Luckily, we weren't able to get hurt when you guys arrived." Olette stated kindly, feeling grateful to their timing.

"I could've handled them." Hayner spoke arrogantly while crossing his arms in front of his chest, causing Olette to smack the back of his head from his rude tone.

He winced, rubbing the sore spot as he whined at her, "Olette…that hurt!" She ignored him though, taking interest at the group in front of them, "It seems like you brought new friends with you."

Sora was perplexed for a second, "What?" But Kairi recovered his speech, "Yes, this is Riku." She gestured her hand to the tall male, "He's mine and Sora's best friend. And this is our friend Namine." She signaled the girl over, finding her bashful form to be behind her.

Olette was the first to greet her, "Hello, Namine." The girl gave the female brunette a shy smile, "Hello." She soon became quiet, sparking the trio to be concern and baffled towards her behavior towards them.

'_I always wanted to meet them, but…' _She became speechless, her emotions reflecting across her eyes as they shifted. They were once Roxas's friends, a friendship based off of a lie she had made through fabricated construction of memories and data. She sighed softly to herself, her body melting from the inside from the heavy weight of liquid that threatened to drown her. There were so many memories she had created and lied to Roxas, causing doubt in her heart from ever telling him the truth towards the alibi she was forced to create. Her thoughts were washed away though to think of the matter any further, catching Riku's voice to break among the group.

"I wish we can talk some more, but we really need to hurry on ahead to the mansion."

"Mansion?" Pence asked for a moment before remembering the abandoned manor, "Oh! You mean that place you went to last time to enter some sort of world on the other side, right?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah, it's the reason why we came here." He indicated lightly, motioning his hands as he explained, "Some serious stuff have been going on, and it's important that we stop these bad guys we've been chasing around for awhile."

Hayner nodded in acceptance towards the boy's explanation, deciding not to question the details, "I don't know what's going on, but it sounds important. We'll lead you guys there!" He announced strongly, wanting to help in anyway he can. Olette smiled with admiration towards his ambitious attitude to help their friends, blushing slightly as her heartbeat picked up.

"Thanks a lot, it's much appreciated." Riku answered respectfully.

"Alright, judging by how severe the situation sounds, we should go right away." Pence spoke evenly.

They all nodded in unison, Sora and the others following after the Twilight gang as they led the way. Namine was still for a moment where she was though, feeling something pull at her from the inside. She winced as she felt an unwelcoming feeling go pass her from the cold wisp of wind. She bypassed the feeling though, stepping over the brown cement as she strongly brought herself forward to follow the others.

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Roxas was the first to passage through the dark portal, the rest of the Organization members coming out from behind him. He right away placed his hood up, shading the features to his face as his gold orbs blazed and pierced underneath. The members who were accompanying him were Larxene, Marluxia, Minx, Zexion, and Lexaeus; it was quite a bunch. They appeared upon a smooth plane surface on top of a roof, gazing down at the sun-kissed town as it bathed in the summer glow. Roxas frowned at the sight of the urban environment, a wistful sensation penetrating through him like a ghost that had come to haunt him.

His brows knitted together with frustration as a prickling feeling came forth inside his head, stunning him for a minute. He gripped his head, easing his temples as he tried to soothe the wrinkles that had creased. He had images of a white room flash through his head, appearing in different angles with multiple drawings on the walls; many of them dealing with him.

Zexion became displeased over this development, the Superior giving him strict orders in not allowing those memories to resurface quite yet, "Roxas, keep your act together. You must not fail the mission that has befallen you; this assignment is most critical for you to complete without any mistakes." The blonde boy glared at the literature fan with great distaste, "Like I don't already know that. Just leave me the hell alone, I'll get the damn girl; alright?" He spoke grumpily, his throat feeling dry as he became reminded what the task was.

"See that you do." Marluxia spoke earnestly, flipping his hood back to reveal his florid features.

It was that moment that Roxas felt Sora and the other's aura, twisting his head to a certain direction where he could faintly sense them. He glowered severely, finding discomfort in meeting with the adventurous boy and his friends. He had to formulate a plan so it wouldn't be a hassle for him to capture the girl without them being there; of course, he would be taking a high risk in doing such a thing, but he was convinced in his plan for being the best option. He was going to do his best to resist the witch's spell, already feeling her poison inside him as she slowly manipulated his _heart_. He laughed to himself from using such a term, finding it to be weak and inconsiderate for a Nobody like him to describe.

He turned towards the group, "We're all going to have to work together in order for my plan to work." He looked over at Larxene and Minx, "You two will be coming with me. I'm sensing their heading for the mansion; so we'll be waiting for the girl to arrive there." He then looked at the remaining others, giving them their orders as he spoke once more, "You all are to create a diversion, stopping Sora and his friends from passing through. When you do, I want you to send that girl to me; she won't be able to refuse the offer, her goal is to meet me after all."

Larxene shivered unnervingly from his tone, feeling displeased towards his behavior.

"Now, all of you; go." They all took off, transporting themselves to the area where Sora and his friends were, leaving only him and the girls behind, "We're going now." He opened a channel for them, the passage leading them to the mansion.

Minx entered the vortex first, giving Larxene the chance to speak, "Are you sure?" She asked Roxas, hoping he remembered their private conversation from before.

"I made a promise not to tell anyone about those reports you stole, Larxene; but even if I agreed to keep such a secret, I won't be deluded to fall for your other lies." She huffed with annoyance, stomping her way over to him, "Idiot…" She had muttered between clenched teeth, entering inside the opening he created without hesitation.

Roxas was slightly taken back by her fierce insult, dismissing it quickly afterwards before it could create itself to be a bother to his duty. He felt the gust of wind collide against him as the portal closed behind him, shifting the cold dense of air into his lungs as he shuttered. As they neared the open passage that led to the manor, he could feel his blood begin to race to his head as the memories continued to pressure against his skull.

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Namine and others made it across town, finding themselves to be at the sandlot. They all strolled down the large area, finding no other numbers of heartless or nobodies appearing in sight.

Hayner let out a sigh relief, "Well, at least Seifer and none of his lackeys are around to bother us." He continued to lead the way.

"Oh, I don't think they're that bad." Sora answered sincerely, holding the back of his head with both hands tied together as he lazily walked behind.

Hayner proclaimed with a stunned expression, "What? Are you serious!?" But it was completely snuffed out as a whirlwind of darkness summoned forth in front of them, blocking their passage to the next area.

They all shielded their eyes from the picked up pebbles of gust, Sora doing his best in trying to take a peak over where the source of energy was coming from. He gasped in anger when a portal to the realm of darkness emerged, the group of evil nobodies from the Organization XIII stepping out.

"You guys!" He exclaimed with fury, his anger boiling towards the sight of them.

"Calm down, Sora." Riku calmly pressed, trying to keep his own wrath from escaping out.

Marluxia chuckled lowly as he examined the pathetic group in front of him, "Sorry to intrude on your journey, but we can't allow you to press any further than this."

"We'll be stopping you here, stalling your path." Zexion sneakily added, grinning behind his book.

It was that moment that Sora and his friends drew out their weapons, the keyblade bearer ushering Namine and the Twilight gang to step back. The nobodies laughed with amusement towards their enemy's brave admiration to protect their friends.

"My dear Namine, it has been a long time." Marluxia gazed over at the shivering girl, finding her to be weak and pitiable as always, "I see you haven't changed." She soon produced a glare at him, shocking him a little, "Oh? Or maybe I'm wrong? Maybe having a piece of Roxas inside you could change all that?"

Sora raged angrily from the crude comment, "Don't you dare insult her that way!"

The girl cringed from the man's wicked words, feeling embarrassed and violated towards her privacy with the boy.

"Do you want to see him?" The question was short, simple, and blunt.

Namine wheezed as she stuttered from the given information, her eyes quivering at the thought of seeing Roxas alone.

Sora declined the offer though, "Namine, don't! It's obvious that it's a trap!"

"But…" She murmured with uncertainty, not knowing what to do as she continued to shield herself from the man's tempting words.

"What do you want with her?" Riku austerely asked aloud with a shout, stunning the others with the unusual question.

'_What?'_ They all asked inside their heads, taking their gaze over to the humanoid nobodies as they waited for some type of answer from them.

"Why? We simply want to reunite the two lovers is all." Zexion stated simply, his voice shrewd and affluent.

Riku scuffed from the answer, "Yeah right. I know how you guys play, remember?" He held his keyblade with a threatening position.

They weren't impressed or provoked by the boy's stance, Zexion deciding to speak once more to the perplexed witch, "You haven't answered yet, Namine." He softly pushed; reminding her the proposal they were offering her.

She looked convinced, edging her body forward until she felt someone clasp tightly to her wrist. She turned around, discovering the person's hand to be Kairi's. The princess exchanged a look of uncertainty towards the witch, "Namine, don't do it…something just doesn't add up right."

She looked at the crimson haired girl's eyes, her violet-blue eyes shifting and searching for some type of change to her decision. She bit down on her bottom lip, chipping off the skin as she contemplated on what she should do. She wanted to see him! She yearned to have this moment with him ever since he left her side! How can she refuse such a proposal? Even if it was a trick, she had to take her chances, as it was the only shot she had left. This was where it all started for them, and this is where she planned to finish it.

She bent her head down, worrying Kairi over what her decision might be; her fears came into reality as Namine lifted her face at her, guilt overflowing her eyes to dazzle, "I'm sorry…Kairi…" She promptly and compulsorily slipped her wrist out of the young princess's hand, running over to the path the Organization have left open for her.

"Namine!" Sora and Kairi shouted at the same time, trying to give chase after the girl.

They were blocked though by a stream of shadows containing blooming pink and red roses, overwhelming their senses from the poisonous aroma. They looked over to find their assaulter to be Marluxia, "Nah ah~" He slowly and warningly said, "Wouldn't want you to disturb the couple now." He grinned deceitfully as his weapon preceded to leak out the vapors of sakura petals across the sharp blade.

"You rotten…" Sora growled sharply, picking up his keyblade.

Zexion chuckled with fulfillment towards the situation, "Care to fight us? It would be a pleasure." They were intruded though soon afterwards, catching Olette, Pence, and Hayner to pass by them as they made their way in following after the memory bearer.

Lexaeus stared after them, summoning forth his massive claymore, ready to take out the trio at anytime from disturbing their plans. He gazed over at Zexion, as if asking for permission to pursue and destroy.

The magician of illusion just waved his hand out in boredom, "Just let them be, they are no threat to us, or to him." He was referring to Roxas, causing Sora and the others to become disquiet with fear for their friends.

"Looks like we got no choice but to force our way through!" Riku answered rigorously, taking charge at Lexaeus first.

The large man was able to dodge the silver teen's swing, countering it by using his muscles to bring forward his bulky blade. Riku managed to deflect the heavy weight that was coming towards him, casting a large force of dark flare at the edge of the blade as he pushed it back. It was then, that a battle ensure between the heroes of light and the group of nothingness.

Sora shouted over to the Twilight trio, already battling against the known _Graceful Assassin_, "Guys! Watch over Namine for us!" He ordered severely, his tone grunting at the end as he tried to glide away from Marluxia's relentless slashes.

"We'll do!" Hayner countered hurriedly, entering through the next area as they made their way to the forbidden forest to chase after the blonde.

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Roxas, Larxene, and Minx made it to the front of the impaired mansion, finding the strings of vines to have grown thicker since Roxas's last visit to the ghostly place. He stared up at the structure with mild curiosity, intrigued by it as he gazed at the empty window on the top left side. A memory zipped through his vision, a familiar feeling enchanting him to freeze on the spot as his memories tried to collect themselves. He remembered the image of a pale girl with a white dress being at that same window, the pressure of her captivating eyes sinking into his as she brought him into her world. His memories vanished in a simple second as it appeared, causing him to fall over as his mind began to ramble through the darkness in search for it again.

"Roxas?" Larxene asked aloud, becoming perturbed as she tried to help him up. He pushed her away; refusing her hand that came to his eyesight.

He snapped agitatedly, "I'm fine." He picked his body up, "I'm heading inside." He stated fairly, his voice leaving him a bit.

He started to head inside the building, his steps slow and steady as he tried not to collapse. He turned to the two females behind him, "You both stay here in case anyone comes. The only person that is allowed to pass through here is the witch." He spoke simply, his eyes glowing despite the overpowering light of the sun.

Larxene had the urge to defy him, but she stayed silent, finding she had no other choice but to follow his demands. She followed her gaze after him as he opened the large doors, closing them behind him as he entered the domain of the discarded manor. She looked over at Minx who just gave a nasty look at her; sighing as she had no choice but to deal with the tragedy ahead.

While inside the fortress, Roxas began having memories rematerialize inside his head, like an old black and white film. He found the feeling to be evocative, the stench of darkness choking him as it filled his lungs, inflating them to burst at any moment. He could sense a haven through the contaminated gas from the murky element, leading him up the dusty stairs as the sanctuary of a white room came flooding back to him. He tried to ignore the disquieting reminiscence of anger and rage, smashing the reality he had come to discover as it plagued his mind to go mad. There was one room he could recall though that he felt safe in. He made it to the small door down the hall of the second floor, his memories blocking out any other pain as it felt home where he stood. He cautiously grabbed the latch to the door, taking a moment to release a sigh, preparing to face what was on the other side.

As he finally regained the strength he needed, he flicked the latch to unlock, edging the door forward as the light blinded him. He shielded his eyes from the blast, adjusting his vision as he focused the surrounding of the white room filled with old sketches of drawings. He slowly entered the premises of the plane space, slowly gazing over each image he could muster to see on the walls. He reached over to the wall that was on the other side by the window, picking his hand up to study one drawing in particular of him in his organization outfit. His brows furrowed slightly, a pinching feeling making its way back into the back of his head.

He forced himself back from the sketch, retreating his hand back to his side. He refused to stare at the drawings any longer, finding them to be an illusion; for the whole room seemed surreal for him to even be real. He declined the memories that were swirling inside him, fighting them as they desperately tried to consume him. He gripped the long and white table, slashing the crusted and stained papers and crayons to the floor with his shaking arm. He could hear the echoing of their collision go up to his ears, spotting the shattering pieces of crayons as they rolled across the floor. He closed his eyes, recalling the memories of his friends, laughing and playing as the countdown to his summer began to diminish by each day he existed. Somehow though, there were a number of blank spaces between those memories, finding them to be erased with nowhere to go. So, as he stood there, struggling to evoke such chains, he waited for the girl he was assigned to retrieve to arrive.

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Namine rushed through the dense and small forest, her lungs pumping with anxiety in seeing the blonde boy. She almost tripped, her legs staggering as she pushed her little body forward. She could see the gaps between the trees, spotting the structure that was once her home. She slowly began to approach her way through the path, but she found herself to be trapped by someone hands to move any further.

She briskly turned herself around, meeting Olette's bright pea green eyes, "Namine!" She was amazed that the girl still remembered her name by one introduction, "You have to stop! I don't what's going on, but it seems dangerous!" Hayner and Pence agreed behind her, beckoning the girl to reconsider her decision in going off and seeing this suppose Roxas.

"I have really bad vibes about this, you shouldn't be so hasty." Pence inputted safely, his chocolate brown eyes showing his concern.

Namine shook her head at them, finding it hard to explain to them about someone they probably would have met if it weren't for the fate he had been given with, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this…" She soon had some type of ruse to ask them, "Can you guys recall a boy about your age with blonde hair?" Their eyes all widened at the same time, the question sparking some reaction from them.

"We sort of have some type of thoughts in meeting someone like that, but we never…" Hayner tried to explain, not understanding how she can even know that.

She frowned at them with remorse, finding her ability over memories to have affected them as well, "It's too hard to explain, but the person I'm speaking of is _really _important to me…_please_…you have to let me go." She commanded lightly, pleading to them as her shoulders began to shake, "This is my only chance to get him back…. you must let me do this." She consulted to them, her eyes already at the brink of shedding tears from her desperate and timid cry.

They all gave in to resist any longer to her pleas, allowing the girl to proceed ahead. She nodded at them, a smile blooming on her face, "Thank you."

"But, we're going with you." Hayner rebuked somberly, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.

Olette and Pence nodded with confirmation, deciding it would be safer for them to accompany the girl. Namine was shocked to say the least from the display, feeling pleased to have them as her new friends.

"With that decided, we should go; you want to meet him don't you?" Olette asked humbly, Namine nodding with affirmative, "Then let's go." She forcibly added, the boys agreeing as they ushered to move forward.

The four of them took off further into the woods, Hayner and others keeping their promise to Sora in watching over the ill witch. She couldn't believe how loyal the three were, relinquishing the tears that threatened to come out. They made it to the end of the forest though, spotting the mansion in sight over the wide and open area. This was her moment in seeing him in private, praying that the darkness inside him will finally surrender to her.

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Sora flipped over in midair as the edge of Marluxia's scythe almost made contact with his skin. He grunted as he landed on top of one of the buildings safely, casting blizzaga upon the death user as he made his way at him. Kairi, Goofy, and Donald were busy trying to avoid Zexion's illusion of clones, struggling to find the real one as he chuckled with enjoyment towards their confusion. Riku was able to deal with Lexaeus tremendous strength and build, their energy colliding as they landed powerful blows that broke apart the cement and bricks of the city.

Sora dodged the next upcoming attack from Marluxia, forcing the pink blade down with his feet as he knocked the man's head back with the blunt point of his keyblade. He soon twirled, having no time to waste as he swung his keyblade to perform multiple slashes to the man's chest.

Donald managed to cast thundaga on the field, destroying Zexion's pawns as he was revealed to them. Kairi took this time with Goofy to attack him, the both of them striking from the side. She got him from below, cutting forth as she slid across with her keyblade, knocking him off his feet. Goofy took this time to knock him up with his shield, sending the trickster airborne.

Riku flipped over Lexaeus's huge form, finding the large man to be slow in detecting his next attack from behind. He beamed out a dark flare behind him, the force pressuring against his back, sending him forward to collide into Zexion and Marluxia.

The bearer to the keyblade _Way to the Dawn_ chuckled with gratification, finding them to have the upper hand, "Is that all you got?"

He and the others only received an eerie laugh from Marluxia as their answer, finding the man's low voice to be intimidating.

"Do you honestly think you're the ones winning this battle?" He asked candidly, causing them to be become discouraged, "From all that has happened, do you really think you have a chance? Look around you, where has your little witch gone."

Sora struck his keyblade forward, edging the man to make sense, "What are you talking about? What is that you're planning to do?"

"Namine's the one they're after." Riku verified strongly, "It's why they let her go see Roxas alone. But my question is; why?"

"Surely you must have known that her little condition wasn't a mere coincidence?" Zexion asked, though he really didn't expect an answer to be returned, "Once we collect the girl back into our hands, she will finally serve her true purpose from being born. Truly she was fated to be nothing more than a puppet with no choice but to rot in the pleasure of others."

"You take that back!" Kairi shouted angrily, not appreciating his words towards her alter ego. Sora and the others braced forward, anticipating in fighting the Organization members from speaking any further.

"In the end, you have all lost." Marluxia stated brutally, ignoring the valor positions they have taken, "You won't be able to change anything, your fate has been _**set!**_" He exclaimed loudly, charging forth with his companions as they fought with the heroes of light once more.

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Namine and the three Twilight Town residences made it to the clearing of the manor's front lawn, finding the gate to the entrance to be unchained and open. They cautiously stood still where they were, Namine taking a nervous gulp as she tried to prepare herself. She took a moment to glance ahead, waiting for some sort of sign in order to proceed forward.

She sighed, making a decision, "You three should stay and wait for me here." She notified softly, turning to them as she hoped they would yield to her proposal.

It was a slim chance though, Hayner disagreeing with the idea, "No way! We can't let you just go in alone, Namine!"

She closed her eyes gently, not wanting to argue, "I know, and I appreciate it, but I have to go off on my own now from here. It has to be _me_ to see him, no one else. I won't risk others in getting involved with this…so please…" She lightly implored, knowing how far they would go to protect her, even though they had just met. She had already lost so many friends to the person who was most important to her, the dilemma inflicting pain to her body as the emotions intertwined into a hot eruption.

"Namine, we can't—!" Before Olette could finish, Larxene and Minx popped out of the shadows, pinning the trio down to the ground as they pointed their weapons at them.

"Surprise, surprise." Minx noted slyly, her tone light and wicked. Larxene remained mute, making sure not to hurt the group with the tip of her knifes. She flicked her eyes over at Namine though, giving the girl a steady gaze.

The young and pale witch gasped from the ambush, becoming startled and frightened, "No! Let them go!" She shouted, pleading to the two as her eyes shifted to the danger that was on her friends.

"Looks to me we got the upper hand, so you'll be obeying us, witch." Minx replied snidely, the string to her bow whining as she brought her arrow back some more, "Now, I'm sure you want to see Roxas, don't you? You don't want to keep him waiting, because it seems to me like you don't have much time left." She motioned her eyes to the girl's missing arms, causing Namine to stagger back as she discovered them to be nearly gone.

She shook her head though, refusing to give in, "No! Not until you let them go first!"

"Namine…!" Hayner managed to cough out, his face halfway into the ground, "Just go!"

"Yes…you have to go alone, remember? We'll be fine!" Olette tried to bolster the girl.

"This person is important to you, so you can't waste time in worrying about us! I'm positive that you're the only one…who can reach him!" Pence exclaimed, grunting as he felt a force hit his body. It was from Minx, finding she had kicked his side, "Shut up, fatty!" She then directed her stare over to the other two, "Both of you too!"

"I can't…" Namine whispered with a soft snivel, her mind racing on what she should do.

"Go Namine…"

She snapped over to the voice that belonged to Larxene, the woman exchanging her an intense look of certainty, "You must go, Namine. Don't worry, I'll make sure that they won't get hurt…go to _him_." The woman's voice was immensely thick and strong, proving her words to be honest and true.

The girl gave a doubtful look before deciding to trust Larxene's judgment, "Alright." She soon turned around, making her way towards the entrance.

Minx at that moment gave a disapproving look over at the _Savage Nymph_, "What was that all about?" She crudely remarked, eyeing the woman as she awaited some sort of answer from her.

Larxene grinned, "Wouldn't you like to know?" She replied lightly, her singsong voice edging the girl to glare at her. The woman took her attention back on Namine's retreating form, feeling something swell inside her chest as she watched her enter inside.

Namine closed the door behind her, creating an echo to be released throughout the large hall. She stood there for a moment, settling her breath to become even as she began to feel nervous and anxious. She looked over at the door on the second floor to her upper left, sensing Roxas's presence to be on the other side. She gulped resiliently, licking her pink lips to clear away the dry crust surface on them. She pushed herself off the door, hearing the soft pedals of her slippers make way on top of the dusty and damaged floor. She began to feel nostalgic, making her way up the rigid steps as they droned lightly from her weight. Memories started coming back to her, her eyes gaining moist as she began to recall her moments with Roxas inside the place. The place that was once her prison and sanctuary; a home she believed to be called. She finally made the final flight of stairs, stepping upon the beat up rug as she made it to the second floor.

She stopped for a moment, pressing a hand to her chest, making sure her drawing was still there and secured. She sighed with relief, feeling the material through her dress as it crumbled lightly. She took a brave front, encouraging her body to move forward as she turned to the left and continued her journey to her old confinement.

She lightly took baby steps, reaching the door that once led to the room that was once her prison cell. She glanced down, noticing the stains on her dress. She looked filthy, but it would have to do; she didn't have time to worry or think about impressing him right now. While heaving in the sandy air that surrounded her, Namine took hold of the copper handle that was attached to the door. She opened the door to the room, a blinding light engulfing her as she entered the white sanctum.

She closed her eyes hesitantly for a second before opening them again, closing the door slowly behind her. She gazed over the room, finding everything to be the same as it was before; claiming the room to be a world stuck in limbo of light and darkness. She stepped forward, noticing the pieces of crayons that littered the white floor. She accidentally stepped on one, quickly taking her foot off it. She soon heard a chuckle, causing her eyes to slowly travel up to the culprit.

Namine gasped in shock and astonishment, spotting the figure as the light beamed through the window and captured his features. Roxas grinned at her from underneath his hood, slipping it off as he revealed his face to her, his eyes gleaming at her with iniquity, "Namine, I assume? It would seem like we meet again…just as you promised."

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "Cliffhanger of DOOM! What's going to happen next??? Will Roxas really obey Xemnas's orders and take Namine??? What is Xemnas _truly_ after??? Will King Mickey be able to tell the others the truth to the mad nobody's plot??? And what of Namine??? Will she truly disappear??? With only SIX chapters left, things are threading down to the finale! Catch you guys next time in _The Way You Remember Me_ ;D! Leave a review! Reviews are always appreciated, so keep them coming! =D"

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is: "Memories Left Behind"


	33. Memories Left Behind

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts!"

Kiome-Yasha: "Keep reading and reviewing guys! You're keeping my spirits up! =D"

Chapter 33 Memories Left Behind

Minx paced back and forth in front of the captured trio, keeping a close and deadly eye on them, preventing them from pulling anything. They were pressed up against the wall by the entrance to the mansion, keeping still as they took no chances in escaping or calling for help. It had already been awhile since Namine entered the shady manor, causing Minx's patience to run thin.

After some time in just watching them, the _Gazing Straight Arrow_ got bored from the routine, "We should just kill them." She stated casually, her voice picking up with excitement from the thought, "That's what we should do." She eyed Olette to be the first possible victim, Hayner glaring at the girl as he held the female brunette close to him.

"Lay off, we're only here for one reason; there will be no point." Larxene sternly rebutted, keeping a watchful gaze on the young nobody, "It'd be stupid to kill them now." She perkily replied, her eyes glinting with amusement as the girl huffed at her.

The three Twilight friends glanced at the woman with interest, sensing some sort of companionship from her, but that all went out the window as she glowered at them. They all took their eyes off her, finding her purpose for interrupting the pink-haired girl's threat to be at her own relevance.

Larxene gaped up at the large window, the thick long vines blocking her path to see into the room. She frowned lightly, finding everything to be a mystery to her from what was going on inside. She secretly prayed for the first time, finding the ritual to be foreign to her as she held some type of belief, _'You better not fuck up, witch.' _She crudely announced inside her devious mind, never being one to have class; still, she held compassion in her words as they translated themselves, _'Namine, be safe and get him back to the way he was.'_

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Namine didn't know how long she remained frozen in her spot; all she knew was that time had stood still. When they were together in this room before, it seemed like there was no other worlds, no light or darkness; just them, bathing in their own glow and existence as they remained in each other's presence. She bit her bottom lip, trying to form the right words that were bubbling inside her chest. It made her throat feel sore, making it dry and tight as it yearned for some water or air. She contemplated on what to say, fidgeting her hands together as she blushed lightly from his intense gaze on her. It was just like before, only this time, his eyes were a wicked gold; and yet, it still enchanted her to fall prey in wanting his affection.

There was so many emotions mixing and swirling inside the room, the drawings on the walls reviving memories for the both of them; one being more confused than the other. This was the room, the room that had started their first promise to each other, to meet again, just as he mentioned.

Namine remained speechless, her mouth edging open to speak, only to clasp back down like a shell. She stuttered her words, trying to form her thoughts together. She looked down at the broken pieces of crayons, avoiding his gaze as he just stared at her. She was caught off guard as she heard a low chuckle from across the room, bringing her head up to discover the noise to be from him. It sounded playful, almost like he was teasing her from her bashful behavior; it enthralled her, her blood set ablaze as her body prickled from the sensational sound.

She was puzzled, having experience the laugh to be the old Roxas that she once knew, not the previous one she had been encountering lately. She swallowed a gulp of saliva, clearing away the dull ache in her dry throat, "Ro…Roxas?" She barely managed to speak, gripping her hands to her chest as she waited for him to answer her. She clandestinely begged for him to be real; if this were all an act, it simply would have been a cruel one.

"Namine, right?" He asked simply, his tone back to being cold and indifferent, "I don't know why, but being in this place, it brings back memories I can't seem to delineate. I'm guessing this is your doing, right? Try to trick me again with your witchcraft." His brows rutted at her, giving her a disapproving look that made her flinch with a distraught surprise.

She shook her head in defiance, gasping as she tried to explain, "No! It's nothing like that!" She then tried to convey her memories to him, hoping he would recognize them in being real and not some replication she had made; though she has known to do such things in the past, but with Roxas, all she could ever give him was the truth.

He felt the passage to her memories being transferred to him, neglecting them as he drowned them in the darkness, "That won't work on me, your powers are useless."

Again, Namine shook her head, "No! They're real! They're your memories, _our_ memories. Please Roxas…" Tears began to surface in her cloudy blue eyes, "You remember my promise, didn't you? You remember how when I said we would meet again …" She tried to recall everything to him, "We could talk now Roxas, we could talk…just…stay with me…don't leave me like this…" She beckoned her arms out to him, showing him the curse that had mysteriously bestowed itself on her, "This is what you're running away from, isn't it? Remember? Don't let the darkness win, don't let yourself forget about me." She was rambling, she knew that, but her emotions were so raw and disoriented that she couldn't locate or identify them clearly.

"I can't…too afraid…too afraid…" He gripped his head, the darkness suffocating him as he tried to remember, "These memories of you…they…they scare me…I don't want to…feel that pain again…no…I refuse to…I…**I won't lose you! I won't allow that to happen! **_**Don't make me remember!**_" He started to go hysterical, shadows contorting mayhem inside him as Namine's entrance began to slowly evade his mind.

He collapsed to the ground, doing his best to struggle and fight against the mental attack. The sight wretched Namine's being, triggering the girl to spring forward as she dashed to his side with immediate action. As she got close, he noticed the ghostly form of her body, causing him to motion back, "Stay…**STAY AWAY FROM ME**!!!" He shouted, stinging her with his tone; still, it didn't halt her approach.

She slowly made her way towards him, her arms open and wide as the tears from her eyes glided down her round cheeks, "Roxas…I won't leave you…not ever…I know you're afraid…afraid to feel alone again…to lose someone dear to you…" She was closer now, his body shaking as she knelt down in front of him, "You rather forget, then to ever feel that pain again…I know…because…that's how I remember you…that's how I…love you…" She confessed genteelly, wrapping her slim and ethereal arms around his shivering body, closing her eyes as she released her tears more freely, "I will always remember you…and have you right here." She gently brought his hand up, the limb twitching slightly as she led it to her chest, "Right here." She brushed his cheeks, his eyes wide and flustered, "Don't let it go, it's always been here, waiting for you to remember it again."

He was stunned and quiet, his body still as he felt the purity of her warmth sink into his skin. He looked down at his hand that was on her chest; there was no heartbeat or sound, but there was something tender, something he couldn't describe. What was it? He leaned in closer to her, pressing his forehead by where his hand on her chest was. He took in her familiar scent, finding the aroma of vanilla and coconut, mixing in with her innocence of white snow. He felt something crunch beneath the pressure of his forehead, finding himself to be exactly between her breasts. Namine squirmed, finding the material he had felt to be her drawing, his hot breath managing to pierce through her dress as it caressed across her skin.

Everything was jumbling around him, making his persona random, latching out. He couldn't make out the alteration to his words and appearance, finding himself to be calm and collected for one moment, and then frantic and frighten the next. He was in disarray, the darkness inside him arranging his thoughts to obsession. He suddenly gripped the edges of her slim shoulders, keeping her body full and solid as he squeezed the flesh. She winced from the force he had on her, becoming alarm as she felt him begin to push her back. Before she knew it, she was on the floor, Roxas balancing himself above her as he shook his head censoriously. He picked his head up, making contact with their eyes, his breathing hot and severe. She noticed his eyes were steamy, her body freezing when she began to feel his hands on her shoulders drag down the sleeves to her dress.

She shook her head with displeasure, "Roxas, don't…" He just stared at her though, revealing the parchment he was looking for, showing her his true intention. She looked down, realizing his actions were based on his curiosity to the crinkling paper he had felt between her bosoms. She looked up at him, capturing his gold eyes as they twinkled with anticipation. She smiled heavenly at him, bringing her arms out from underneath him and unlocking her arms around him. She breathed in his musky scent, the darkness engrossing her as she lost the reason why she was there. All she could think about was being with him at that moment, the doodle leaving her thoughts as she embraced him to her on the floor.

Roxas couldn't make sense over what was happening, finding everything to be familiar to him. He began to have images flashing through his head, animating sequences inside his memories that dealt with the girl underneath him. He actually had fresh thoughts of making love to her, confessing his love to her, being with her. It made his head hurt, but when he placed it on her cold skin he felt relaxed and at ease. While mindlessly letting the dreams of recollection drift inside his head, he discovered that it was _her_ who was under his spell, not the other way around. He kissed her neck, gasping over how sweet she tasted, it made him grin devilishly as he heard her moan out his name. He eagerly gave a nip at the tender flesh, causing the witch underneath him to shutter. Soon, he began to trail his lips over hers, enticing her with sensual strokes with his tongue. For once, he felt like he was the one in control; and this was all he needed to bring her into his web of deceit, or was it something else?

And so, he slowly began to consume her, overthrowing her lips with his own as he made her surrender to him. He could feel her resistance, her hands itching to the drawing on her chest. He didn't allow it though, breaking and unbinding her dress even further as he gathered her body to call out for him in the purgatorial sanctuary. She knew though, she knew that this was all a lie, but; she allowed him to commence the action anyway, needing to feel him more than ever as she felt her body begin to slip away. Somehow though, she was feeding off his memories to come forth, a possible hope emerging as he whispered her name in a loving tone; something she had missed, while he had forgotten.

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Marluxia tried to swipe underneath Sora's legs, the boy swiftly dodging the attack as he jumped into the air. It was at this time that Zexion took advantage in casting a spell on the keyblade bearer. He brought his hand forward; mimicking a spell he had learned from the heroes as he summoned thundaga on the brunette.

Kairi was able to reflect the attack though from hurting her boyfriend, her keyblade repelling the magic. Riku took this moment to attack from behind Zexion, which turned out to be a clone as he slashed through the fake imitation, deleting the replica from ever being there. Lexaeus charged after Kairi, punching the girl away like a rag doll as he brought his massive arm over her frail body. She collided with Sora, the both of them falling to the ground as they grunted from the impact in pain.

Donald squawked from the assault that was inflicted on his friends, bringing his staff up as he tried to heal them with Curaga. Marluxia though went after the duck, slashing his scythe downward to cut him in half. Goody was able to defend his friend though with his shield, forcing the pink assassin back.

The three nobodies stepped back from the group, assembling themselves to get well adjusted in their positions. Marluxia cussed under his breath from the tedious task they were in, "Dammit, hasn't Roxas retrieved that witch yet?"

Lexaeus stared down at Zexion to clarify the same sense of concern, "Do you think he has fallen victim to his memories?" The _Cloaked Schemer_ grimaced from the possibility, remembering the orders he had received from the Superior, "I can't be too sure, but there may be a possibility. We must not allow that to happen, for it will be a dire conclusion to our mission." He slammed his magical tome shut, casting his frustrated expression at the team in front of them.

He flicked the strands of hair that covered the right side of his face, proving he was displeased over the slow presentation the blonde nobody was performing. He opened a portal, signifying an attempt to flee from the battle, "Shall we check on him and make sure he doesn't fall prey to such memories?" He asked the others deceitfully, earning a nod from them in agreement.

"Wait!" Sora shouted, withdrawing his keyblade in one hand to the side, "Where do you guys think you're going? We're not finished yet! Not until you give us some answers!" He and the others preparing their weapons, displaying their valor attempt to fight.

"How gallant of you all…" Marluxia spoke leisurely, fiddling with the ends of his pedaled pink hair, "But we have no time to play with you any longer, we only came for one thing…and that is to capture the witch. We can't deny her fate any longer." He halted his words, deciding not to explain any further details to their plot as he entered the gate.

Zexion followed right after Marluxia, refusing to acknowledge the heroes of light any longer. Sora shouted after them to stop, but was forced back as Lexaeus swung his claymore at him. He crashed into a wall, wincing as the clash brought pain to his body, bursting his blood to bleed internally. Kairi ran to him, doing her best to heal the boy's wound as he growled in agony. Riku, Donald, and Goofy made an attempt to follow after the nobodies as they all gathered inside the realm of darkness; but they were too late, the entrance closing quickly and preventing them to pursue.

Kairi assisted Sora back on his feet, having treated his internal injuries from the impact he faced. He heaved heavily, bringing himself forward as he squinted his eyes in pain, "We have to head for the mansion!" He announced, already breaking through the others and making his way there, "We can't let them have Namine!" He dashed to the next area in order to reach the mansion, the others calling out after him as they followed his hasty form.

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"Namine…" He whispered hoarsely, her pure and innocent aura surging around him, causing his hands to fumble over her heaving chest. He was becoming overwhelmed, his body shivering as he tried to control himself. He gazed down at her distressed face, her eyes searching for his. He gasped and tried to fight back when she slowly kissed his lips, detaining him from challenging her, causing him to submit. Their tongues slipped and grazed each other, relishing and bathing in the familiar sensation. They were battling each other's feelings out, the darkness doing its best to keep her light at bay from tainting Roxas's deranged mind.

"Please…please, stay with me?" She half-asked and pleaded, her mind becoming foggy and light. She could feel her body become weak, her eyes shifting to her transparent arms. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to witness the sight, gripping Roxas tighter to her. She whined pitifully though when she felt her arms go through him, hot tears breaking free as they spilled down the side of her face, stinging her skin.

Roxas noticed the cold breeze of her arms, the darkness reviving itself to become known once more. It shuttered his mind, breaking the chains that were beginning to regroup in the deep void of his chest. It shattered any significance of the girl below the male nobody, throwing him off as he jumped away from her in horror. He gripped his head agonizingly, the darkness pressuring his skull to forget the fear that was haunting him.

"Roxas!" Namine shouted, fixing her dress as she tried to calm his nerves. He roughly pushed her away though, his piercing and yellow eyes causing her to freeze in fright as he growled at her, "**You bitch!!! What the hell did you do to me!?!?" **He grabbed her pale wrist harshly, pulling her body towards him, "**Tell ME!!**"

She winced, crying softly as she began to become hysterical, "I didn't do anything!!! Roxas, please!!!" Her soft voice tried to reason with him, her tears falling to the floor as they kept flooding over her face, "I'll prove to you that I'm _**real**_!" She tried to reach for the drawing that was under her dress, but he grabbed her other hand before she could, throwing her to the ground.

She tried to collect herself back up, but was forced back down on the cold and white concrete. She gasped with alarm as she felt Roxas's forceful hand reach into her dress, hunting for the sketch she had kept hidden there.

He successfully was able to pull the slim paper out of her gown with ease, ripping the white silk slightly as he roughly retracted his hand out. He snarled at the white slip, ignoring the colorful description that was underneath, "Is this what you were trying to pull? We're you planning to suck me in with more of your _**lies**_ with this!!?" He half-shouted and demanded, shaking her body to signify his rage.

She shook her head weakly, her face overflowing with pain inducing tears, "No…no…Roxas…" She bent her head down, shadowing her face from him, "Has the darkness truly devour your memories?" She asked dimly, her voice sore and light as she gripped a hand over his, "Why can't you see? Is my light truly that blinding for you to realize?" She finally picked her head up, an honest smile appearing on her face as she confessed with the security of her memories for the boy that she could never throw away, "I love you…"

Roxas's eyes widened excruciatingly, a hushed sound of misery escaping his lips as his chest concaved from the confession. He heard it somewhere before, somewhere in the back of his mind; and he had this funny feeling he had once said the exact same words to her, but how could he? He was just a Nobody. His hold on her lightened, rubbing the bruise he punctured on her soft skin. He coughed abruptly, his head feeling woozy and muggy, absorbing her words as it echoed inside his vacant and corrupted psyche.

He clenched his taut fingers, a disturbing sound coming from his hand soon afterwards; realizing the chomping sound to be from the sketch he had in his left hand. He gave the paper a baffled look, wondering if he should open the folds to the parchment. Namine smiled happily, sensing she was breaking through to him somehow; it was a long and thrashing battle, but she found the memory of her devotion to him to be finally sinking in somewhere, calling out into the prison of darkness.

He released her wrist; the witch engulfing her ghostly hands over his trembling ones. She smiled warmly at him, edging and intertwining her fingers with his as they both started to unfold the parts to the sealed doodle. She could hear his breathing turn heavy, his voice breaking into fractions as he whispered slowly, _'I'm…scared…'_

She replied softly back, _'I am too…'_ Somehow, they both knew what they were referring too, her body transferring to a more wraithlike translucent form.

He could see the vibrant colors begin to display, his eyes reverting slightly to a more crystal blue. He became awestruck and engross, getting closer to the sketch as they began to unravel the last few folds.

Their moment in illuminating Roxas memories though was apprehended, their private sanctuary shattering just as it did a year ago from Ansem's intrusion. A dark threshold opened inside the room, a large leather-gloved hand processing through the entry, snatching the drawing from both of the blonde's hands. Namine tried to reach for the half-outspreaded sheet, but was stopped as she felt two large hands wrap themselves around her slim and fading wrist. Thankfully, she was able to faze through, but her fortunate advantage proved futile as the end of Marluxia's scythe appeared in front of her. She panted in fright, Roxas picking himself off the floor as he recognized the group who invaded their solitude.

Zexion was the one who had taken away the half-folded doodle, releasing a sigh of grief as he started to curl and bash the paper, "That was terribly close, for a second there Roxas, you were about to fall pawn to this witch's spell on you." He grinned with triumph at the girl, achieving a disgruntled glare from her.

She shook her head, panting heavily as her tears jagged her lungs to disintegrate, "Roxas…no…no…don't believe them! It's not true!" He stared at her for a brief moment, wondering if he should believe her words. He shook his head, turning away from looking at her pitiful figure any longer, "That's enough…I don't want to hear anymore."

"Good; now, let's burn this." Zexion lifted a finger, casting fire on the small and crumbled ball of paper. The heat and oxygen of the flames began to burn the sketch, staining the distorted edges to go black, slowly, but surely as it began to transform into ashes.

"No…!" Namine slipped and rushed pass Marluxia's long blade, knocking the disintegrating paper ball out of Zexion's hands. She winced and sobbed as the trickling flames burned her hands, swapping and padding the ember to go away. She managed to save the illustration she had made, sniffing as she found some of it to be ruined.

Before Namine knew it, her mind began to fade, the vision of her eyes fogging to darkness. The last thing she saw was Roxas's bemused face, her body falling forward as she squinted in pain from the blow she suddenly received on her side. It was Lexaeus who knocked the girl out, sending her to become unconscious. She whimpered mournfully, her vision clouding as she tried to speak out.

'_Namine…! Namine!' _

She heard someone call out to her, finding the feminine voice to be familiar, _'Xion?'_

She disregarded the uneasiness of the voice, finding no answer to her oddity; instead, she took her attention back on thirteen's insecure expression, _'Roxas…'_ She sniffled inside her mind, _'Why…? Why…? I…'_ She couldn't continue her thoughts, her conscious fleeting into the void of the cold abyss.

She fell forward, and out of some sudden grief reaction, Roxas jumped forward to capture the girl in his arms. He turned her vaporous body over in order to gaze down at her tear stricken face, the clear dews falling gracefully down her flushed cheeks. His lids shadowed over his gold eyes, the brim around his sockets exposing a mixture of red around the tainted orbs.

His fingers twitched as they felt her body begin to fade even further out of reality, causing a nauseating sensation to bristle and burn the emptiness inside his chest. He looked up at his partners, becoming disquieted over their looming and dark features, "Mission successful." Marluxia stated proudly, nearing the end in completing Kingdom Hearts.

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Sora jogged through the forest, the others catching up to him as they made it pass the dark greenery and entered the open field in front of the golden mansion. They stopped in their stride though as they spotted Larxene and Minx in the distance, Hayner and the others being kept as hostages.

Sora was the first to react, pulling out his keyblade right away, "Larxene! Minx! Let them go!" He knew there was going to be trouble, but he appreciated on the fact that his friends were unharmed.

He ordered them again, "I said let them go!"

"Fat chance of that happening there, hero!" Minx replied snidely and dully, picking herself off the wall, "But I'll be glad to fight with you, if you like." Everyone got into position, including Larxene who growled with frustration, _'Dammit, just what the hell is going on in there?'_

As if answering her question, a vortex appeared behind them by the entrance of the mansion, Roxas and others stepping out from the abyss as they entered the light of the sun. Sora and others breaths got caught in their throats, restricting their lungs as they saw Namine's non-illuminated form in Roxas's arms.

"Larxene, Minx; it's time to go; we got what we came here for." Lexaeus spoke steadily, catching each word carefully for them to hear from his deep tone.

Namine moaned utterly in her sleep, whimpering parts to Roxas's name slightly as sweat began to appear on her pedaled dove skin. The said boy glanced half-heartedly at her, bringing her body instinctively closer to him.

"Roxas! Don't do this! Let Namine go! You're falling right into their trap!" Kairi pleaded weakly, Riku cutting in to add, "You think this will change anything? You're just going to make Namine's condition worse! Forgetting her isn't going to make the pain less real! Just stop this!" The blonde scowled at them from under his hood, his eyes beginning to smolder from the barbing wires of memories as they clung to him.

His brows creased harder while his eyes burned brighter, raw emotions bubbling inside him, threatening to swallow him up. He stared down at the memory carrier's feeble form, seeking answers. The thorns and chains to his trapped memories clutching tighter, calling forth black and white scenarios as they fuzzed unclearly inside his consciousness. He could hear her voice, sweet and delicate as she pried his judgment.

'_Who are you…?' _

'_My name is…' __**Shatter…fuzz…**_

'_But I don't know why I have this power…__**shatter**_…_**fuzz**__ …I don't even know…'_

'_It's taken me a long time…__**shatter**_…_**fuzz**_…the_ process has been effecting you as well…Roxas…__**shatter**_…_**fuzz**_…'

'_Roxas…we will_…_**shatter**_…_**fuzz**_…_talk about_…_**shatter**_…_**fuzz**_…_you may not know it's me…__**shatter**_…_**fuzz**__…meet again soon, I promise…!' __**Shatter**__...__**fuzz**_…

More kept on coming, and the more that kept on appearing, the fuzzier and distorted everything got. Soon, some parts just kept repeating themselves, almost like a broken record. Roxas switched his head away, blocking the disturbance that was placed upon him as they continued to prolong his thoughts. He glowered off at the group in front of him, his eyes flouting the tension to their stances as he summoned a gloomy vortex of energy.

With a dead tone, he spoke under the shadow of his hood, "Let's go…" He began making his way through, overlooking Sora and the others as they tried to prevent him from leaving the area. Marluxia and Zexion grinned with victory, finding their plans to not have gone spoiled as they retrieved the item they were ordered to get. They followed inside the dimension after Roxas, disappearing inside the void.

Larxene grimaced, bringing Hayner and the others up by the arms as she tossed them over to the other side of the field, "You can have them, we're finished here." She made her way over to the others, entering inside the darkness with Minx. She grinded her teeth together, her once bright and emerald eyes overshadowing to a more grim and dull like color as she felt defeated inside; even though they were the ones who won.

"**No! Wait!**" Sora charged after them with a distress cry, not even caring for a fight as he tired to grab hold onto one of them. He slipped through the channel as it vanished through him, causing the brunette to fall harshly to the ground, receiving some skim marks from the slick green grass.

The Keyblade Master had lay there for a while, his body beginning to shake, purging him to face the reality they were in. He began to punch the ground repeatedly, disregarding the pain he was inflicting on his fist. He cussed silently to himself, failing his promise to Yen Sid and King Mickey to protect Namine. He froze though when he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder; he turned and discovered the precious touch to be from Kairi.

She exchanged him an encouraging look, refusing to let him down, "Don't worry, we'll get _them_ all back." He knew the people who she was referring to, their destiny and hearts intertwining into one, "I know…" He bravely picked himself up, giving the mansion ahead an intense look, "We're heading for the final battle. So, we can't afford out hearts to waver now." He gazed up the at the orange sky, _'I'm going to end this…'_ He declared without any hesitation, his eyes set with resolve towards the waiting conclusion to their journey.

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In a white plain room, a slightly burnt and crisped drawing laid crumbled and torn on the pasty plane floor. It currently still had some ember marks around the edges, all of them snuffing out one by one, leaving traces of smoke to evaporate into the air. The colors that were taken time to construct and modify were ashy and worn, deleting the waxy paste. It was motionless inside the large and empty room, the artist who had created the sketch vanishing along with it. It fell to oblivion, hoping for the person inside the darkness to capture its fall; but as the light dimmed, it seemed like nothing more than a hopeless dream destined to drift beneath the white crust shadows of dusk, waiting for the dawn.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "-Avoids throwing knifes and pitchforks- Hmm, why do I have a feeling that Idiotique wants to kill Roxas? I know how you hate this Roxas for being an idiot right now . Oh, and GAR, I tried to update this as fast I could, I hope you're happy :D. Anyway, emotional enough for you guys out there? It was a short chapter, but I was hoping to get the idea of what this chapter was suppose to present across. I kept listening to the saddest of music when writing this chapter, and it actually helped a lot. The worse thing is, this isn't even the saddest scene yet! Don't worry though, it's coming up very soon ;D. Anyway, with now only FIVE chapters left, we're nearing the finale even closer. Don't forget to leave reviews you guys! Keep them coming! Don't let _The Way You Remember Me_ down!"

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is: "Diving Into the Abyss" Stay tune!"


	34. Diving Into the Abyss

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts."

Kiome-Yasha: "Not much to say, but to say thanks to you guys for the amazing reviews! Also, a little surprise for those who've been begging to see Axel!"

Chapter 34 Diving Into the Abyss

Everything was dark all around him, melting across the surface of the stain glass as it began to be pulled into the abyss. Axel hurried over to the center of the field from the cylinder's platform, fleeing from the dark pool as it swam slowly towards him.

"What the fuck? Just what the hell is going on?" He looked up to the sky, finding nothing but darkness, "Hey! Just what the hell is going up there?" He asked noisily, his voice echoing across the eternal hallow of unconsciousness.

He gritted his teeth, calling forth his weapons to fight off the approaching darkness, blazes of fire surrounding the duel chakrams, "Get ready to burn." He claimed lightly to himself, but he soon became blinded by a flash of white light from behind him.

He cringed from the sudden flare, letting it die down before he could inspect what was causing it. He finally was free to see after it had slowly dissipated, the light spreading the darkness to halt its process. He turned around, becoming shocked in seeing Namine at the center of the podium glass. She was staring off into space, a warm but uncomforting smile spreading across her lips. _The Furry of Dancing Flames_ cautiously made his way over to the detached witch, making sure she wasn't an illusion.

He called out her name in the dead of silence, "Namine?"

He began to feel frantic, his worse fears coming to realization as the girl slowly turned towards him, tears cascading down her face as she hiccupped between sobs, "Axel…. *sniff*…I…I…failed…"

The blazing red-haired male tried to comfort the girl, seeking the feeling of hope inside his unsettling and foreign heart, "Namine…this can't be the end…" He could recall memories about the girl; reading about her in Vexen's old notes, creating a hypothesis that was yet to be concluded in his research. He wondered; was it possible that such exploration was related to what was happening now? The memory teased him, finding no answers or connections to help them in their state of dilemma.

She shook her head, "It is, for me…" She gazed down at her hands, her body blinking in and out as she felt the roar of the darkness call out to her, "In the end…I truly was meant to fade into darkness…but I'm not going…not yet…" He caught the inferno of affection and devotion in her eyes, catching him off guard as she strongly continued, "Not until I get him back…"

She felt her eyes begin to flutter as they closed, Xion's words ricocheting inside her head, reminding her of the light she supposedly held inside.

'_Only you can break free through his darkness with the light you hold!"_

She silently cried once more to herself, rekindling the words back into her tortured and battered mind. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant losing herself; all that mattered was Roxas's existence, and that was all she could ever dream for.

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Sora and the others entered inside the lab downstairs in the basement, wasting no time in exploring the mansion's ruined depths as they had one goal set in mind. Everything looked fairly neat and constructed, dust masking over the computers as they hummed and tweaked. Pence approached the contraptions, already pressing some keys as he fiddled with the device.

"If I'm correct, we don't have to use that thing." Riku informed the group, staring off into the other direction, "I'm sure we can find the entrance to their world if we enter the other room. There should be some type of portal there like last time."

Sora nodded, feeling secure with Riku's reasoning, "Alright, then I guess…" He turned to the Twilight crew, "This is goodbye."

Hayner refused automatically, "No! We're going with you guys!" Olette agreed with him, "Namine's our friend too." She calmly inputted, fear gripping her heart as she became worried for her new friend.

"But, you only met her for a day." Donald explained, not understanding why they should risk their life so easily.

"I can't allow you guys to come; you have to understand." Sora tried to reason with them, finding it difficult to convince friends who were _just _too strong-willed at times.

Kairi gave further details about the danger ahead, "The world were about to enter is filled with heartless and nobodies, we can't allow you to come when trying to save our friends and protecting you guys in the same time. Please, you must understand." They didn't know if it was because she looked like Namine; but right at that moment, all they could see was Namine's soft face, begging for them to consider their option.

Hayner shuttered for a moment as he gave in, "Fine." He dropped his tensed shoulders, Olette placing a comforting hand into his as she tried to comfort him.

"Thanks." Sora replied kindly, smiling at them as he appreciated their decision. He soon turned to Riku who only nodded and began making his way ahead inside the other room.

"You all take care now!" Goofy claimed cheerfully, his buckteeth shimmering with his smile. Donald agreed, forcing Goofy to move forward as they followed after Riku into the next area ahead.

Kairi and Sora stayed behind, bidding their last farewells to the three friends, "We'll see you guys soon." The young keyblade bearer notified confidently, having no doubt they will return.

"Just be careful." Pence spoke with an edge of concern.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Kairi bolstered peacefully, giving them a wave before heading off after the others.

Sora did the same, nodding to the group as he made his way down the hall, entering the next section inside the laboratory. Hayner, Olette, and Pence stood where they were, wishing the heroes luck in their endeavor in saving their friends. They had a feeling though that they were going to meet again; only time could tell when such a crossing will come.

Sora barged into Kairi as they met face to face with the large shrouding vapors of darkness from the other side of the room. Riku was poised and ready, his keyblade drawn out, "Seems like they were expecting us."

It didn't seem like the murky suspense was a heartless, just a slob of darkness clouding the room as the portal to _The World That Never Was_ rested on the other side. Sora and Kairi took out their keyblades, preparing to cast a light amongst the thick and dark fog. Donald and Goofy also drew out their weapons, taking heed in protecting themselves and their friends right away if necessary.

"Like this is going to stop us." Sora profoundly announced, twisting his keyblade forward as he showered some light. Kairi and Riku followed his example, pushing back the darkness as it scoured away; bursting into peddles as it revealed the hidden dimension. They couldn't fail their friends again, having fallen for the Organization's plot one too many times already. Sora gritted his teeth, grunting heavily as he clenched his hands around the handle of his keyblade, forcing the object up as the keyhole to darkness inside Twilight Town revealed itself.

Sora pledged his heart, purging the light within him to shoot off the keyblade's tip. The darkness was strong though, Kairi and Riku rushing in to insist the brunette as they reflected their keyblades to the keyhole. Donald and Goofy watched in awe, watching the three friends band together in unlocking the keyhole they were compelled to release. Once the illusion of the keyhole to darkness vanished, the portal to _The World That Never Was_ opened, clearing the path.

Sora heaved lightly, bringing his shoulders up as he tried not to let himself falter, "This is it, let's go everyone." He turned to encourage them, making sure they were all prepared for the outcome ahead. They had to overcome their fears and doubts together, that way; they could conquer the darkness inside their hearts. When he received positive nods from all of them, Sora grinned with triumph, pressing forward without hesitation.

He fazed through the realm of darkness, him and the others coming across the plane of nothingness. Donald spotted the next channel across the plane, "Look over there!" He exclaimed loudly, his snout moving as he pointed.

They looked over, discerning the portal of light across the empty meadow as it swirled around and pulsed. Sora took the lead, directing the others to the passageway that had appeared for them to cross over. He ventured through, not giving it a second thought, the others entering through the domain after him.

They were bombarded with the pouring drips of rain from above, gazing up to see the large skyscrapers as the dark and murky sky covered the world with its gloomy setting. They could hear thunder go off somewhere in the distance, notifying them that the storm wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Sora placed his head straight, spotting _the Castle that Never was_ among the stream of tall buildings and rain.

He glowered at the sight of the fortress, seeking the energy he needed within his heart to end the battle ahead, "His majesty, Namine, and Kingdom Hearts is in there; and we need to do our best to save them." They all nodded in agreement until Goofy gasped in shock, "Look! Heartless!"

And sure enough, heartless started to sprout out from the streets, merging themselves out of the muddy shadows within wet puddles of rain. They all got into position, preparing to banish the creatures back where they had come from.

"We're going to have to force our way through; never mind fighting!" Riku concluded fiercely, "Just strike through in order to reach the castle!" He was the first to charge, slashing his way through the crippled and deformed monsters. Donald performed multiple magic spells, giving them the advantage to break through with a clean slate. Goofy assisted by guarding Kairi and Sora, the both of them swinging their keyblades, obliterating the heartless as they all maneuvered together.

Sora could feel his heart pump rapidly through his veins; they almost felt like they were about to burst out of his skin at any moment, the scar on his face beginning to throb profusely. He hauled his keyblade's weight though with outmost valor, vanquishing the heartless as he and the others tackled through the large and empty city. It wasn't about vengeance that was plaguing his heart to move forward, it was the promise he made to himself to save his friends that kept him going; and that was something no darkness could ever touch.

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Roxas jumped out through the passageway, continuing to hold Namine near to him. He was welcomed back by everyone in the Organization, Xemnas standing at the front. The man grinned with fruition over the prize in his arms, causing Roxas to pull the girl closer to his chest. He didn't know why he reacted in such a way, but something inside him told him he needed to protect her. Xemnas persisted to inspect the girl's form, marveling her incompletion with fascination, a demure grin spreading across his slim lips.

"Soon, soon enough, she will be fixed from this predicament; my promise to you Roxas will be made very soon." The man replied impassively, congregating Roxas to become anxious and confused by his choice of words.

He was about to question the man, but was forced to pass Namine's transparent body over to the awaiting and eager Vexen. He took the girl from the young blonde's hands, giggling with pure thrill at the climax of her session, "Just truly amazing! It seems like being near Kingdom Hearts is affecting her greatly to manifest her powers. We should start the procedure right away, Superior." The man nodded in agreement, leaving the mad scientist to go ahead with the girl in order to prepare the ceremony.

Roxas reflectively brought his hand out, risking in touching the girl's hand as she began to drift away from him. He silently regretted in handing her over, closing the palm of his hand as he tried to hide his discomfort under the shadow of his hood. He turned to Xemnas, who was rejoicing towards the gathering group, "My friends, soon, Kingdom Hearts shall be ours to control! Soon, all will be in place."

Larxene cuffed behind Roxas, finding their accomplishment to be a false one of any good fortune. She didn't know what else to do, but her mind did began to wonder. She was interrupted with her thoughts though when Xemnas continued on with his speech, "With the final piece to our puzzle in our hands, we can finish what we had started years ago." He turned to Roxas, clapping a hand to his shoulder, causing the teenager to wobble in his spot, "And you Roxas, will be the key unlocking the final thread. You hold the power to complete our operation."

Both number thirteen and twelve were unnerved by the treatment, feeling a little unsettled on what was going on. The older female member scowled evenly at the situation, _'If what I read from those notes are true, Namine is the big missing secret to all this, but how? All I got from those entries were riddles after riddles, how can I possibly figure out what he's plotting?' _She noticed the leader to the Organization signaling for their attention, "Come, Vexen should almost be done with the preparations." He once again took satisfaction in praising Roxas, "You hold the special needs acquired to benefit our feat, my friend. Follow the others and me to the sanctuary and _Altar of Naught_ where our incomplete ambition is waiting for us." He positioned his large hand on Roxas's mid back, manipulating the boy to become loss as he beckoned him forward.

'_Everything is falling into place; who would have thought Roxas to be so gullible the second time? You would think he would have learned by now not to trust us. But don't worry my friend, I'll be keeping my promise true; you'll be having your Namine soon enough.'_ The sorcerer nobody rested such thoughts inside his mind, his gambling scheme proving itself to be a success.

Larxene watched as they headed for the top most peak of the castle, prowling her eyes on the back of the Superior's head as she tried to unravel his thoughts. Too bad for her, she wasn't a psychic, so she motioned forward in order to witness the event ahead herself. She gasped suddenly though when she felt an unyielding grip on her wrist, squeezing the leather of her coat as the force penetrated through her skin and bone with meager attempt in crushing them. She swiftly turned herself halfway around, finding her aggressor to be number seven.

"You're not qualified to participate in the event, number twelve. It's best you are kept here." He spoke stonily, adding more pressure onto her wrist to prove his authority over her.

The woman only growled at him, swishing her wrist away like a snake, bringing it over her chest, "If that is my order from the Superior, then I will obey it." She secretly played it off, not wanting to seem more suspicious than she already was, keeping her crimes hidden from his brown nose.

"I find it fit and reliable to say you are untrustworthy; but the Superior wishes for you to keep guard here." He remotely spoke, keeping his tone steady.

"Oh~, and why is that?" She could see Minx in the corner of her eyes, twisting her face in annoyance towards the girl's persistence in spying at her.

"Sora and his friends are in the city. They're coming to save their friends, you are to keep them at bay from disturbing our cause." He sternly summarized, finding the assignment to be crucial for her to follow.

She shrugged her arms to the side, "Geez, more dirty work to handle." She noticed his approaching glare, "Fine, fine~" She concluded broadly, "I'll get rid of those twerps for the Superior."

"See that you do." _The Luna Diviner_ reprimanded, stalking off over to Minx who resided herself near a pillar.

He slowly came to a halt, gazing down at the girl with his moon-coated eyes, "See that you keep watch on her; be sure she does what she's told." Minx nodded with confirmation, overhearing the nymph scuff nearby, "I must attend to our prisoner downstairs before the offering."

His words perked Larxene's interest, becoming absorbed with the word _offering_. She dropped her arms to her side, waiting for the blue-haired member to make his leave before overtaking her next possible move. As the berserker vanished within his own summoning vortex of darkness without any further instructions, the shrewd vixen made her advance to speak, "I might as well wait at the front entrance. See you later, brat." She winked teasingly at the girl, making her escape through an opening she created.

Minx frowned at the opposing woman, her thoughts itching the crater of her brain to wonder, "Just what is she up to?" She asked herself quietly, finding no chance in believing the woman's words. She angled her arm to the side, calling forth her own dark transporter. She transmuted herself and entered through the surreal doorway, following after the _Savage Nymph_ with great haste and enterprise, planning to enfold her traitorous demise.

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Sora bashed the next heartless in line, pursuing the next alleyway as they cleared the path ahead of them. He looked up admittedly; spotting the floating castle that was centered across the dark and damp city. Kairi swiveled her keyblade around, defending his form as heartless tried to grab him from behind. Riku, Goofy, and Donald broke off heartless from the sides, performing methods with their spells and magic to demolish the creatures.

As they made their way through the open large area where Riku had once fought with Roxas, they were bombarded with more heartless. It was at this moment that Goofy offered his energy and strength to Sora, giving him the advantage and ability to morph into valor form. With now two keyblades in his possession, Sora was able to wipe all the heartless, along with Kairi and Riku who insisted in erasing the leftovers. Donald kept pace in healing them time from time, blowing heartless up with his various spells of black magic.

They managed to escape the area unscathed, continuing their run to the next alleyway. They reached the end of the road in the next area, becoming trapped. Riku growled as he noticed the swarm of heartless coming in from behind them, swiftly turning himself around in order to spread a large and crystal like barrier to protect them. He grunted as the corrupted and starving beasts struck his shield with a powerful wave of energy, pushing him back as he tried to keep the wall steady and closed.

Dread claimed Sora's heart, becoming alarmed, "Riku!" The older teen shouted over his shoulder, "Sora! Clear the path for us with your keyblade; just like last time!" He grunted as he felt the shield begin to crack a bit.

Sora gave a quick nod, already drawing his keyblade up to the castle. A large beam of light was shot through the tip of his keyblade, reaching the castle's entrance point as it revealed the invisible bridge. As the road unraveled itself to them, Sora urged Kairi and the others ahead, shouting over to the platinum-haired boy, "Riku! Come on! Let's go!" He gave his best friend a warning to hurry, following Kairi, Goofy, and Donald as they began to make their way to the top.

Riku followed Sora's instructions, disregarding the force field he had formed as he made his way over to the lit up passageway. The barrier shattered, freeing the heartless to break through as they tried to make their way over to their open feast. Their attempt to snatch and claim the heroes' hearts vanished though, the bridge collapsing under their feet, causing them to fall into the endless abyss underneath. Riku hurried across the laid out path, sensing the passageway begin to disappear and crumble from behind him. He was close in not making it, giving one last attempt to survive by leaping forward across the last bit of ground he had left. He managed to land gracefully without any harm, releasing a sigh of relief as he made it across.

Sora gave one last glance behind them, making sure the path was destroyed without any heartless around to chase them. He signaled them that they were safe, "Seems like the heartless won't be getting us from here; so let's move on." He stated consistently, never losing sight of their goal.

Goofy was about to respond with some 'enlightening' comment, but was cut off as nobodies appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Sora braced himself up front, perching his keyblade next to him in order to defend himself and his friends.

"They really don't want us here, do they?" Riku questioned dryly, sarcasm dripping at the edge of his tongue.

"We have no time to waste!" Kairi concurred severely to them, drawing the light inside her heart to her keyblade.

"We're busting through! So get out of our way!" Donald claimed bravely, already forming some spells to slip out.

Sora nodded with agreement, bursting forward with his keyblade as he tackled and whacked the nobodies aside. They all engaged in the hunt, making their way through the castle as they tried to reach the top, hoping to find their companions before it was too late.

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Larxene transferred herself to the lower section of the castle where the supposed prisoner was residing. She always detested visiting the place known as _Soundless Prison_, it's not like they ever had any prisoners down there anyway; besides some hostages they could use for Kingdom Hearts.

The skillful nymph kept herself in the shadows, waiting for Saix to disembark as he scheduled his visit. Once he seemed to be done, he began to make his leave, discussing little to the person who was inside the cell. She managed to take a peak over her hiding spot, becoming in shock as she discovered the captive to be King Mickey himself. He looked frustrated and alert, a mouse trapped inside, pacing it's mind as it tried to find someway to get out. She sucked in a breath as Saix made his way passed her, showing no signs that he knew she was there.

'_I can't believe it was the rat they had managed to catch; who would have thought him to be a prisoner here.'_ She kept a watchful eye on Saix's form, making sure he was out of range in spotting her. Once she heard the swoosh sound of the realm of darkness appearing and disappearing, she knew she was in safe territory to motion forward.

She halfway pulled herself out of the black shade that existed on the wall, pinpointing her eyes on the mouse behind the cell, _'He's the only chance I got to go with in stopping all this.'_ She slowly made her way towards him, her leather heels clapping pryingly on the white pavement floor.

King Mickey was alerted by the thunderous sound of her heels, jumping forward in order to inspect the source of where the sound was coming from, "Who's there?" He asked with a stern tone, not expecting another visitor of the Organization to come so soon to mock him.

"It's been awhile, your majesty." He was in shock to see the _Savage Nymph_ herself, his handle on the bars tightening, "Larxene!"

"In the flesh." She commented proudly, "Haven't seen you since our fight in Radiant Garden; doesn't look like you had any further luck since then, judging from your position." The King gave a guarded grunt from inside his clutched mouth, frowning at the young woman as she paced around the room.

"Just what are you planning to do?" He asked lowly, his voice set without any discomfort of fear.

"Oh, just relax!" She admonished heatedly, approaching his cell while he stepped back with caution, "I'm here to get you out."

"What?" He couldn't even swallow her words fully as she already unlocked the cage to his jail.

The door swung back, creaking slightly as the bars whined from their given rust, creating an exit for the mouse to take. Larxene started to get annoyed though when he wouldn't get out, "Hey! I think this is the part where you get the hell out! Can't you see I'm helping you? Geez…" She placed a hand on her hip to emphasize her displeasure and impatience.

Mickey was hesitant, not knowing if he could truly trust the woman, but he took the risk as he began to slowly make his way out of the chamber. He stepped out into the open area, checking his surroundings in order to make sure there was no one else there besides them. When it seemed like everything was clear, he turned to look at Larxene with a perplex expression, "Why are you helping me?"

"I'm doing it for my own health." She replied sarcastically, scratching the back of her head when he gave her a suspicious look, "Alright, alright! I just _feel_ like it; okay! And don't give me none of that crap how nobodies aren't suppose to feel either!" He shook his head, dismissing her uncouth mouth.

"I guess it doesn't matter now, not with the situation I'm in; any help will do fine at this point." He gave her another stymied look; having no time to listen in on her reasoning as he came to a realization, "Wait! Saix told me how they have captured Namine! Is that true?" He asked urgently at his savior.

She nodded, becoming stunned from the sudden question, " Yeah, but why? What's wrong?" She figured the royal keyblade bearer had some information she had been searching for, edging him to answer.

"I have no time!" He turned the other way, already making his getaway.

"Wait!" Larxene called out to him, stopping him before he could even dash off, "Just what the hell is going on!? You know something, don't you?" She questioned austerely, feeling bemused and lost.

He turned to the blonde, passing her a friendly smile, "I appreciate your help, Larxene; even if I don't know the full extent on why you decided to aid me in my time of need…but…I'm grateful for your help." He quickly turned his head back to the path ahead of him, "But I have to stop all this before it's too late!" He magically was able to summon his golden keyblade again, charging off into the distance of the hall with great velocity.

"Hey!! Wait I said!! Dammit!!!" She cussed dejectedly under her breath, finding her aggravation to be doubled, "Some gratitude that was…didn't even give me time to explain how that brat and his friends are here as well." She sighed irritably, crossing her arms over her chest, "Might as well try to catch up to him." She began to chase after the little mouse, but was stopped when something suddenly grazed her cheek.

Larxene could feel the exposition of warm and fresh blood dripping down her face, marking a wound open. She touched her cheek, making sure the evidence of the blood to be real. She clenched her hand to a fist, taking her gaze back around to the person who had shot the arrow.

She wasn't all that impressed or shocked to see Minx standing in front her, her hands already summoning another arrow between her fingers and bow. She slumped her shoulder back, shrugging her arms to the side, "Now, that was uncalled for." She replied simply, her eyes casting themselves dangerously at her opponent.

"I knew it all along for you to be a traitor. You helped that rat escape just now!" She exclaimed angrily, her arrow turning red as she intensified her wrath at the woman.

"Really? And you're deciding to do something now? I guess it's out of the bag that I killed your brother too…Oh…and that wannabe me as well! Such a shame; looks like you're the only one left out of the new crew whose alive…. let's change that shall we?" Larxene swiftly and skillfully drew out her surging power of thunder from between her fingers, her miniature weapons emerging from the shadows of her sleeves.

Minx growled at the woman's constant taunting, screaming out in pure rage, "You **bitch!**" She released the limit of her powers, blasting a surge of darkness as her bow transformed into a more monstrous stage. Arrows began popping around her, all cast at the ready with the one in her hands as the trigger key. She had wicked pink like fairy wings sprout out from her back, the murky power of darkness slipping off around the appendages as she flew into the air.

Larxene was not expecting the sudden transformation, fleeing the area as the arrows started flying after her. She managed to dodge most of them, but was strained to a halt, as one was able to gash through her thigh. She grunted as she fell to her knees, hearing the flapping bat like wings overhead. She quickly turned herself around, her eyes reflecting the incoming swarm of bullets as the bright pink like beams started to spawn upon her. She scuffed under breath, throwing her kunais at the girl, projecting her element into the weapons as they sparked with electricity. Once the small darts made contact with the incoming arrows, a burst of thunder was discharged into the room, brightening the area with the sudden blast of energy. Larxene grinned with triumph over her counterattack, bringing herself off the floor while ignoring the pain on her right thigh.

She wasn't out of the woods yet though, Minx popping herself through the net of lightening. She already had an arrow drawn back to be released, aiming and releasing it from her bow. The blonde vixen was able to quickly dodge the attack though, creating a hologram of herself to appear in order to provide as a substitute.

While eluding herself from the assault, the twelfth organization member chuckled with delight as she summoned forth a thunderbolt from overhead the delirious archer. The diminutive female fell to the ground like a roasted slump, splatter of red bursting out of her skin as her blood popped and seized out. She cringed and coughed hoarsely from the brash treatment, smoke rising off her burnt skin. She mended the wounds though; using her healing magic to undue the damage Larxene's element had cause.

She pulled herself together; forcing her body to cooperate as she stood slowly began to stand up straight. Minx spitted blood out of her mouth, snarling at the deceitful blonde, "You think that alone was going to take me out? You don't know what I can be capable of!"

Larxene had to admit, she was astonished by the girl's fast recovery, but that only spiked her excitement even more from the challenge, "I don't have a heart to waste away, so we have all the time in the world to end this." She plainly remarked, waiting for the next blow of attack the juvenile gremlin had equipped and ready to launch, finding her quest in following after Mickey Mouse to be postpone at the time being.

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Sora and the others were capable in bashing the nobodies away as they made it to _Crooked Ascension_. They took the large elevator, becoming safe for the time being from the onslaught of Nobodies; but it didn't take long before Samurai nobodies appeared on the lift with them.

Sora automatically shifted Kairi behind him, him and Riku taking on the creatures as they slashed out their blades. Goofy and Donald jumped in to help, keeping their sight on Kairi who needed protection. It took them awhile to improvise the nobodies' movement and assault, gaining the time to keep them at bay.

They all rushed out of the lift when it finally came to a halt, breaking down the shields in order for them to depart off the compartment. They hurried down the hall, cutting it close with no major injuries so far from their rigorous battle.

"We should probably split up!" Riku offered, continuing his stride with the others, "One group looking for the King, while the other for Namine."

Kairi seemed a little insecure about the idea, "It might be dangerous to do something like that." Goofy seemed to sympathize with her choice, "We should look for our friends together."

Sora tried to formulate a decision, but he couldn't quite come up with one. He became frustrated, his heart constricting as it tore him apart with making a decision. He clapped his eyes shut, accepting Riku's reasoning to be the best solution.

But before he could voice out his verdict aloud, he heard Donald shout with surprise, "Look! It's his majesty!" They all searched at the direction he was aiming at, concluding his exclamation to be true.

And to their revelation of shock and relief, the Royal Highness himself was dashing off gallantly from across the hall, reaching their next destination to be _Twilight View_. He had his keyblade stretched out and steady, striking down any possible traces of nobodies that got in his way. He performed all sources of flips, controlling his attacks to be lethal and swift.

"Your majesty!" Sora shouted with extreme liberation, running over to the mouse as his friends followed in pursuit.

King Mickey was able to banish one more nobody before halting his attacks, taking notice of the group behind him. He was surprised to say the least in seeing them, a smile spreading across his face, "Fellas! Boy, am I glad to see you here."

Both Donald and Goofy embraced their friend, feeling relieved to see him unharmed, "We thought they had taken your heart for sure!" Sora exclaimed frightfully, keeping his posture mature and leveled.

"Believe me, I thought I was a goner as well; but Larxene had helped me escape from my prison." Mickey explained steadily, "If it weren't for her, well gosh, I still be locked up."

"Larxene!" They all exclaimed at the same time.

The ruler of Disney Castle nodded fiercely, "Yes. I don't know why she did it, but I was most grateful towards her help." He soon remembered why he was in such a hurry, "But she baffled me with troubling news! Is it true that the Organization had got their hands on Namine?" He asked severely, the tone in his voice dithering with dread.

Riku nodded shamefully, "It's true."

"Then we have no time to waste! We have to get to the top as soon as possible before they could construct the final piece to their goal in receiving Kingdom Hearts!" Mickey rotated his body around, already taking off towards the upper levels with mad alacrity.

"Your majesty, wait!" Donald shouted restlessly, both him and Goofy following after him without a second thought.

"He didn't even get the chance to explain to us what's going on around here!" Sora cried out agitatedly, Kairi containing the same source of sentiments.

Riku didn't bother questioning it though, directing his keyblade to a more defensive stance, "It doesn't matter! Whatever it is; it isn't good!" He charged forward, following the king's example.

Sora groaned with distress, finding no other choice but to trail behind the group as King Mickey led the way. Kairi ran beside him, her emotions reflecting his own; finding no clues of the truth that was being kept hidden from them in the shadows ahead.

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Roxas had mindlessly portrayed the orders he was given with, following Xemnas and the rest of the companied nobodies to the sanctuary where Kingdom Hearts was being held. His eyes flickered back and forth, thinking about the enigma and translucent girl, a part of him hesitating by each step he took as they neared their destination. When they finally made it to the platform and opened area of the illuminated altar, Roxas caught notice of a lone chair at the end of the round and circled area. He precisely also noted how the seat was directed in front of Kingdom Hearts, creating a ominous glow to rise from the object. He gazed up at the confined relic, becoming attracted by its shine as it continued to feed upon the particles of peoples' hearts.

The blonde teen became perplexed and bemused when he caught Vexen placing Namine on the abandoned chair, adjusting her position as she sat lifelessly. He looked around the others who began to form a circle around him and Xemnas. He looked up at the senior nobody, gulping slightly as he felt something heavy and thick sunk down to his feet.

The leader of the Organization brought his eyes down on Roxas's, the ember around his eyes glowing with eagerness, "Now Roxas, I would like for you to draw out one of your keyblades. It doesn't matter which one, we only need one of them for the next step." The boy did as he was told, calling forth the power of some hidden light that guided through his fingertips in order to summon out the stained Oathkeeper.

He gawked at the tainted keyblade, his hand twitching from the weight, as it suddenly felt heavy. He tried to steady his hand though, straining his muscles to grip the handle tightly without any irresolution.

As Kingdom Hearts caused the weapon to glint and shine from its overpowering radiance, Xemnas spoke with his arms wide open, embracing the beauty of their creation, "My friends, for years we have longed for this day to come! We had failed many times, but soon, we will be able to relish the essence of Kingdom Hearts." He took his eyes on Namine's unconscious form, "With the vessel back in our hands, we will be able to become one with our Kingdom Hearts; for I, who was rejected and unworthy to unify with such a precious existence! But, no more! We nothingness shall earn our place!" He brought his hand over to Roxas's shoulders, causing the key of destiny to become unbalance, "With my new arrangement in completing Kingdom Hearts. We can now transfer our dreams, to you, Roxas. Now go, release the light that has been kept hidden from us!" He lightly edged the teenager forward, a cunning smile etching itself across his slim lips.

Roxas stared at the girl ahead of him, frowning as he became more baffled and stressed, finding his task to be disingenuous. He turned over to ask the older nobody, "Just, just what is it you want me to do?" His voice faltered, revealing his uncertainty towards the situation. For the first time in a long while, Roxas was actually starting to feel fear inside the emptiness of his heart.

The smirk Xemnas had plastered on his face widened cynically, "We will be using someone else to be one with Kingdom Hearts, finding that person's body to be nothing more than a shadow never to be complete; until now." He directed his eyes on the seated witch, "You are to release her…our Kingdom Hearts…."

Roxas suddenly came to realization, his breath stumbling for a second as he tried to control his suffocating lungs. He didn't know why such a feeling was implementing itself so strongly now, feeling something ache within him. Xemnas's words echoed inside Roxas's head, his profound accent vibrating the atmosphere around him, "Namine is the vessel that shall be used in becoming one with Kingdom Hearts. And is up to you Roxas to make that happen."

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "There, it's finally done! Thanks for all who continued to support and review! Namine's fate and purpose to the Organization has finally been revealed, the only question is; will Roxas go through with Xemnas's plot? Stick around and find out! With now only FOUR chapters left, we're heading in to the final few chapters! Expect the final conclusion to The Way You Remember Me very soon! Oh! And Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so glad I was able to submit this on my birthday; my gift to you guys! ;D"

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is: "Freeing You"


	35. Freeing You

Declaimer: "I do now own Kingdom Hearts…."

Kiome-Yasha: "Minor conception everyone! We only have TWO chapters left now after this XD."

Chapter 35 Freeing You

Axel had tried to formulate words to come out, biting the appendage inside of his mouth's crater. He didn't know what to do; this was the closing curtain to it all. He had tried to convince Roxas, failing miserably as the darkness proved to be stronger. He supported Namine in her endeavor in getting him back, her existence fading by each encounter. There was no other plan he had left memorized, creating his heart to remember feelings he couldn't remember ever being real. The emotions bubbled his insides, linking them to burst at any moment as his given heart began to feel overwhelmed.

The shards to the sensation bristled his tongue, causing him to speak out, "What are you planning to do?" He asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.

Namine turned to the pyro user, a warm smile spreading on her pink slim lips, "I'm going to release myself to him." A soft glow of light began to appear as she said that, engulfing the area with its warm ardor.

"Namine!" Axel tried to reach out to the girl, running towards her with great haste. He felt his fingers faze through her fading hands, slipping through the material of her body as it merged into the blazing luminosity. He passed through the white fog, finding the apparition of Namine's form to be gone. He collapsed to the ground, punching the glass as it shattered and crackled from the force, "Roxas…you idiot…" He held back the tears that threatened to fall, the passion inside his heart swelling in revulsion, "Dammit…"

Namine had her eyes closed as she let the pure light consume her, keeping the darkness from touching her untainted memories. A lone tear slipped by her closed lids, "Thank you…. Axel…" She whispered softly, releasing the liquids freely as she accepted her fate.

'_Namine…'_

She recognized the voice, hearing _her_ clearly, "Xion?"

'_I'm so sorry…'_ Sora's clone mournfully whispered, her tone frail with sympathy.

Namine smiled sincerely, feeling grateful, "Thank you…goodbye." She replied lightly, the shelter of light bursting as her eyes finally opened, waking her up from her slumber.

She looked up, spotting the person she treasured most, smiling at him kindly like she always did, "Hello, Roxas…" She could see the keyblade in his hand, the blade shaking as the chain at the end rattled with his vibrating form. He was scared; deep inside him, he was lost and alone. She could tell that the darkness was trying to block his fears, but the boy inside him that she remembered knew who she was.

He motioned the keyblade at her, feeling something inside him break and shatter as it tired to cry out. He could hear Xemnas's orders, repeating them in the back of his traumatized mind. He felt something wet begin to shed down his cheeks, gasping as he realized the sensation to be tears.

The leader of the Organization grinned with success, prevailing his goal after so many years of research. All it took was two nobodies, using their relationship to his advantage. The other humanoid nobodies relished in their victory, anticipating for the final conclusion.

Roxas gripped the keyblade with his other hand, compelling them to move the weapon over to the girl. He gritted his teeth tightly, causing the bones to whine from the pressure. They both could hear the vacillation inside his body, his hands motioning the weapon to dangle and jingle as he tried to perform the deed that was given to him.

He froze though when Namine delicately planted her ghostly hands on the keyblade, bringing it over closer to her as her eyes landed on his golden orbs, "Roxas, I'm here…no matter what happens…I'll always be here…waiting for you…so please…" She placed the tip of the Oathkeeper on her chest bravely, "Don't be afraid anymore…" She slowly closed her eyes, calling forth precious memories that resided in her.

As she picked the memories out one by one, Roxas's mind began to stir, his lips trembling as he tried to clear away the tears that continued to fall.

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Sora and the others were near the top, reaching through the passages and corridors inside the castle as they continued to force their way inside. Mickey led the way, bashing nobodies left to right in order to clear a path for the others. They never faltered in their pace, finding their time to be crucial.

Sora spoke, coming up with a realizing thought, "The Organization XIII might be at the top where Kingdom Hearts is! I'm bet if anything, that's where they have Namine right now!" Mickey nodded with agreement, "You're right, Sora! If that's the case, we must hurry!" They reached _Ruin and Creation's Passage,_ making it across the invisible bridges as they traveled platform to platform.

They made it across the area, meeting the entrance that led to the _Altar of Naught_.

Sora stared off into the entrance, bracing forward with the others as they entered the final domain inside the castle, _'I just hope we can stop Xemnas in time from his plans falling through…' _It was his final thought as they broke through the dark doorway, leading them up the steps where the replica Kingdom Hearts pulsed and resonated.

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Larxene jumped off the wall, relocating herself to the other side of the room as Minx's arrows missed her. She turned herself around, casting thunderbolts across the area. The archer was able to dodge the lighting strikes though, her wings providing the boost she needed for her stamina. She pulled her bow back, summoning up more impure pink darts as she pulled the invisible trigger. Larxene cussed under her breath, having no time to clone herself in order to counter the attack. The little imp shot the arrows, the bullets coming at full speed. The nymph was able to protect herself though, creating a shield out of thunder, bursting the arrows to disintegrate as they made contact with her component.

Minx growled with frustration, finding their attributes to be backing off each other. She lifted her hand up, calling forth archer nobodies. She grinned with outmost madness, urging her minions to fire at once at the _Savage Nymph._

"Dammit…" Larxene gritted her teeth, her muscles clenching with anxiety on what to do.

She ran to the side, avoiding the flying flashes of arrows, causing explosions to go off behind her. She pounced over in order to escape _Soundless Prison_, a rupture of black smoke oozing out as she made her exit. She coughed hoarsely from the thick and toxic fog, doing her best to adjust as soon as possible. She heard Minx cackle behind her, flipping over as she defended herself from the next upcoming assault. This was a battle between speed and stamina, both girls proving themselves to be experts.

Larxene twirled herself around, casting bolts of lighting everywhere, her targets being more on the archer nobodies than anything. She banished the creatures with ease, finding them to not be a real challenge, just a nuisance to fight with.

Minx steered herself after using a flow of wind energy, giving her the agility boost she needed in order to tackle Larxene from the side. The blonde saw through the attack though, manipulating her powers as she brought down a rush of lighting through her veins. She used the electrons around her, twisting the particles as she discharged them to her bidding. So as she waited for Minx to make her way over to her side, she shot her arms out, spilling a wave of thunder through her hands.

Larxene rotated slowly around, making sure the flourished line of electricity was able to trap Minx inside her web. The small urchin flailed over, creating a crater behind her as she made contact against a wall. She winced and hollered in pain, becoming electrocuted as steam seeped out of her skin. She slid off the wall, landing harshly face down to the ground, her body sprawling out from the wreckage.

Larxene took this moment to run towards the girl as she began to pick herself up. When she reached her broken form, she gave Minx a mean upper kick, sending the girl airborne. She then performed a roundhouse kick to her side, launching the flying imp. She heaved heavily, blood rushing through her veins, pumping her adrenaline with stimulated fuel.

Minx coughed up blood from her mouth; the liquid dripping off her chin as she swiftly brought her body up. The damage that Larxene had caused was too quick and clean for her to recover, finding the wounds to be permanent.

The older vixen grinned with pride, finding she had the advantage, "Guess you're all talk after all."

Minx cuffed harshly, finding her throat to be clogged, "I'm going to end you…." Larxene could only chuckle from the remark, but soon her tone became an unsettling laugh.

She looked up above to the ceiling, sensing a strong aura of darkness brewing, _'What is this feeling? Something doesn't seem right...' _She looked to the side, frowning lightly as she thought of the witch with pale blonde hair, _'Namine…' _She feared for the worse, an ill feeling settling itself in the deepest pit of her bowels.

"What's the matter, Larxene? What's with that dumb expression on your face?" The pink gremlin mocked crudely, one of her wings bending down awkwardly.

"It's called _concern_, you little bitch!" She turned to the girl, glaring at her for her ignorance, "Not that you would know anything about it!"

"Neither do you! You're much of a nobody as I am! What makes you so different?" She hollered angrily, her wings flaring up with resentment.

A flash of a crooked grin, bright emerald eyes and fiery red hair appeared in her vision; Larxene brought her head down as she chuckled with amusement, "Damn him…"

She gazed up at the injured archer, "I guess it's because of him that I changed…" She then had another empathy, "Along with those brats…" The smile broadened on her face, causing Minx to step back, "I'll show you what this feeling is soon enough!" Their battle commenced once more, the _Savage Nymph _resolving her emotions to be crystal clear.

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Namine genuinely gaped up at Roxas's glossy golden orbs, finding a hint of blue shadowed deep within the wet layers that began to gosh out. Roxas gawked at her, the tremors that surrounded his body refusing to stop. He bit down his bottom lip, stinging the flesh as he prickled out some blood. He groaned with a hoarse whine, his body fighting against the mayhem of darkness that waved across his mind tauntingly to proceed.

'_I know you're there…I can sense you clearly within my memories…' _Namine alleged warmly inside her head, her eyes glimpsing over at the trembling keyblade, _'It's alright…I know what I have to do…'_ She chained the memories together, finding them all to be real, fabricating them to her chest where the keyblade lightly pointed.

Xemnas soon called out, his patients running thin, "Roxas, why are you hesitating? Strike and release Kingdom Hearts now!" He unruly insisted, watching Kingdom Hearts as it began to pulsate with Namine's weak and invisible form.

The pure memory witch could feel Kingdom Hearts strongly resonate with her, taking a glance over at the sacred remnant, _'It's time…this was the reason why… there's no way I can escape it…'_ She mournfully stated, incapable of yielding her tears any longer as they began to trickle down her pallid cheeks.

The Organization lingered restlessly behind Roxas, edging him to press forward with the demand given to him. The boy still refused to move though, besieging himself from pressing the keyblade forward into the witch's awaiting chest.

Namine saw through his altering emotions, finding his delay to be heartfelt. It caused her chest to swell with hopefulness, "Roxas…"

He focused his attention on her tear stricken face, "I know you're scared, but believe in me…I won't let Xemnas have his way. This is the only way, you have to let go of the darkness inside you…remember who I am…who you are…just like before…just like you said last time when we were reunited here…trust in those memories…and you'll see the light…" She softly spoke to him, her tone angelic and serene, tears breaking free from the depths of her blue surreal orbs.

"No matter what happens…. as long as you remember me…. I'll never lose sight of who I am…" Roxas shed his own tears, letting his guard down as he began to falter his keyblade, "It's my fault for causing you so much pain…I'm sorry…but…I'll fix everything now…I promise…so please…" She tilted the keyblade, bringing it closer to her tarnished blouse, pressing it against the exposed skin that marked where a heart should be, "Don't be afraid anymore…" She repeated sacredly, the vision of her body dissipating further, "There's no time…do it…"

"**Why…why are you doing this?**" He suddenly bawled wildly, his expression frail as he felt befuddled and distraught, "**Answer ME! Why am I hesitating?**" The question was more to himself, "Please…" His inner rage had settled down, unleashing a tone she had missed to hear, one that was lost and frail, "Don't make me do this …"

She heaved in a gulp of air, her smile blooming with fulfillment, "Roxas…" He began to inch the blade forward, the darkness swallowing his thoughts as he lingered towards the edge.

Xemnas chuckled lowly inside his throat, finding pleasure over the scene before him as Roxas finally settled to cooperate, "Yes… that's it, Roxas! Complete Kingdom Hearts and show us the dawn we nobodies have searched so long for!" The others all agreed, captivating the horizon to a new beginning about to be born.

"**Don't do it, Roxas!**" A young and boyish voice boomed throughout the area, catching everyone off guard.

Roxas and the others spun around, spotting Sora and the gang as they entered and evaded the _Altar of Naught_. Mickey spoke with a still tone, motivating his fists as they motioned with his words, "Roxas! You must not do this!" Sora and the others became silent, listening to Mickey as he spoke, "If you do this, Namine will be gone forever!" He chastised roughly, launching his eyes over at Xemnas, "You plan to unite Namine with Kingdom Hearts!" He exclaimed with complete repugnance, rendering his plans, "That's why Namine's been disappearing, that's why she has been vanishing! You're planning to resonate her body to become one with Kingdom Hearts!" The heroes gasped in disbelief behind the mouse, everything starting to click together as they slowly filled the puzzle to the man's plot.

Xemnas only grinned with laughter, slowly clapping his hands together, "Bravo, your highness. I see you finally have it all figured out from those notes I gave you." Mickey glared at the man with distaste, "But…as true as that might be; it seems you haven't got it all figured out quite yet. If you want to know my conspiracy even further, I suggest you don't interrupt the process that I'm about to show you of our new world." The eccentric and devious nobody turned himself to Roxas, "Now, perform the order that I have given you, thirteen; don't let us down now."

Sora growled, throwing out his keyblade as he pressed forward, "I'm warning you, Roxas! Don't do this!" He soon positioned himself to a battle stance, shouting out, "I won't let Xemnas control you anymore! He's just using you as a pawn in ending Namine's existence!"

"Oh dear boy, I think you have it all wrong." Xemnas began to correct him like it was the most logical thing, "She will merely just be reborn into a new existence; she won't disappear ever after this." He looked up at Kingdom Hearts, admiring the pleasure of its glowing radiance.

"Xemnas, you—!" Riku began to speak, but was soon cut off by a shaking cry.

"Enough!"

They all crooked their faces over to Namine's dissolving figure, the girl's breath convulsing as she tried to explain to her friends, "There's no chance in convincing him at this point…the darkness has literally devoured Roxas's thoughts and memories…there's no other way besides this one…" She regrettably announced, her face miserable, "I have to do this…in order to save him…"

"This can't be the only answer!" Kairi tried to reason with the witch, Donald relaying his own concern, "If you do this, then Xemnas will win!"

"I'm okay with that!" She softly cried, "I know you guys can handle whatever may happen…besides…I have a plan; you guys just have to trust and believe in me…"

"But…Namine…" Goofy spoke dejectedly, his eyes dropping to a doleful look.

"I'm sorry, my friends…I really will miss you…but you have to let me…this is my decision." She pleaded sorrowfully.

"No! I won't allow this!" Sora concluded to himself, preparing to charge, "Namine, don't do this!"

"There just has to be another way!" Riku lucidly explained, arguing over her decision.

Xemnas spoke at this moment, finding their words to be futile, "There is no other way; this has been long decided as destiny…you can't change that." He flippantly spoke with a stern tone, watching Roxas carefully, "I'm sure you agree with the same settlement."

Mickey gripped his hands tightly, a part of him fleeing into the shadows as he deplorably had to confess in Xemnas's words being true, "He's right…this is probably what my Master was referring too…"

"Your majesty!" Sora shouted with distress, "You don't mean that!"

"He does…" Xemnas strained the situation even further to the inedible, "He knew that this was provident, as cruel as it is." He assembled his eyes on the two blonde nobodies, "Now then, Roxas; continue on without any further disruptions."

Despite what Mickey had stated, Sora and Riku charged forward with full purpose in stopping the ceremony. They were blocked though by nobodies and heartless, Xemnas summoning them from their dark depths. They grunted from the seize, already striking their way through no matter how impossible it seemed; the otherworldly creatures multiplying from each one that was vanquished.

'_They can't stop this from happening…it's meaningless to try…' _Xemnas deduced silently, reaching his sights upon the couple ahead.

Namine knew this was it, beseeching the mystified blonde to hurry, "Roxas, you have to let go…" She began to shudder as it became harder for her to accept what was happening, "Please!" She knew the final words to say, providing them to be the key in severing him from the madness that dwelled inside his tattered mind.

She swallowed in the refreshing air, tasting in the hearts as the raindrops from outside invaded her senses. Her eyes swollen from the tears that magnified and blurred her vision, shedding the dewdrops to fall gracefully. She took in the senses around her, letting them elude her thoughts as she tried to memorize the moment. She didn't want to though, finding everything to be depressing and tragic for her to even have as a remembrance. So instead, she focused the memories inside her that dealt with Roxas; taking every detail to his sun-tanned hair, his alluring cerulean orbs, to that charming and cocking grin.

She took it all in, closing her eyes momentarily before opening them up again to see the boy in her memory, "I love you, Roxas…" With her confession finally taking its toll on him, the words finally sunk through.

Roxas screamed out with despair, becoming hysterical as the words invaded his mind. It was that one final snap of inner turmoil that caused him to fall apart, thrusting the keyblade forward as it sunk through with a nasty piercing sound, entering Namine's transparent flesh. He could hear her breath begin to shallow as she gasped in pain, gasping between chokes as the keyblade punctured her chest even further.

Soon, a blinding light burst and engulfed the room, causing the heroes to shout out in distress, "**NAMINE!!!!**"

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Larxene felt a disturbance as Minx pulled herself away from her rising kick. She froze from her missed target, her breath leaving her as she felt a rush of uncertainty. She slowly gazed up at the ceiling, her mouth creating a gap between her lips as she gawked in horror. Minx took the distraction as an advantage to attack, rushing forward to kick the woman in the chest.

Larxene flew back, grunting from the sudden pain, falling over to the ground and into the rubble behind her. She weakly sat up, her muscles twitching from the sore that was inflicted on her.

Minx giggled with delight, crouching her head back with merriment, "I'm sure you can already sense it, Larxene." She glowered down at the woman, enjoying the sight of her sour expression, "A new beginning approaches for us all…"

"No…" Larxene declined the possibility, launching forward with a cry of denial, pressing her fist forward. Minx saw through the woman's weakness, invading the attack easily. Once she dodged to the side, she brought her knee up, landing an upper kick from under Larxene's stomach. The vixen collapsed forward, clutching her stomach as she coughed gruffly from the pain. She clenched her eyes shut, her eyes lighting up with raging fire as she swapped her leg around, defending her back from the next upcoming blow.

She reclined herself back, panting callously as sweat began to drip off her face. Her expression furrowed with uneasiness, the feeling becoming stronger as it tarnished her insides. She gritted her teeth with displeasure, spotting the pink-haired girl to be energetic as ever for another round, despite the injuries on her skin.

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The light possessed the whole area, blinding Roxas as it broke through the surface of his ensnared mind. It traveled through him, spreading his memories forward; flooding his head with reminiscences that even Namine had kept hidden from him. The radiance purged and demolished the darkness, clearing away the disease towards his amnesia. Everything just kept overloading, bombarding him with sequences after sequences, images after images. It was like someone had pressed the rewind button and caused the switch to become stuck, forbidding him from freezing the frames. His world recollected itself with a blink of an eye, his memories adding even unwanted scenarios, giving him every detail to what has happened to him while in the darkness. They plagued him, remembering not only the visions of the blood he had spilled, but to the sounds to his victims' screams. He could recall everything, witnessing them as they quailed his body to shut down.

All of a sudden, memories of Namine were all he could see and define, shifting his eyes to turn back to his natural indigo color. He gave a startled cry, the last outline to his memories pausing itself to a still image of the beloved blonde girl. It was an unadorned and untainted image, one he cherished; it was her, her affectionate pink and flawless lips twining to a full bloom smile, her eyes dazzling like stars over the dusk filled sky, her skin glowing with fond purity across her curvy figure. He yearned to grasp the memory longer, but it shattered as he entered the reality he was in.

The blinding light disbursed out of his view as a lone tear came out of his restoring blue eyes. He slowly took his gaze over to the keyblade in his right hand, his body beginning to tremble as his eyes traveled up the blade. He gasped in distraught, his orbs widening to the sight in front of him as his voice splintered into fracturing hushed wails.

The keyblade in his hand dispersed into puff of glittering streams, "Namine…" He griped softly, whimpering afterwards as tears cascaded down his face.

The girl hacked air out of her lungs, expressing the agony she was enduring; but, even so, she smiled at Roxas's wrecked features, "Roxas…. I'm so glad…" Tears spilled over her flushed and ruined face, "I'm so glad…that…that…you're…**AHHHHH!!!**" She gave a devastating shriek, the darkness that was once inside of him, transferring itself inside of her, fragmenting her body to fall apart as they began to fuse with Kingdom Hearts. She reclined her back, twisting her body upwards as something shot through her spine, hushing her cries to a minimum.

Roxas ruptured into action, shouting with a severe and breathless cry, straining his body forward, "**NAMINE!!!**" He tried to immobilize the power he had unlocked, but failed as a blinding force of energy was ejected from Namine's body, knocking him back into the crowd behind him.

Sora and the gang rushed over to the fallen blonde's side, the youth already recovering himself back up, "**Namine!!!**" He shouted once more, ignoring everyone else around him as the one dearest to him began to suffer from the transfusion. He tried to run over to her again, refusing to give up, "Namine!!! Namine!!!" But once again, he was thrust back, impacting against the ground with a ruthless slide.

After repeating this process multiple times, Namine's body began to drift into the air, lifting her towards Kingdom Hearts to complete the final offering. Her eyes faded to a sunken abyss of blue, her consciousness fleeting away as the hearts within the spectra invaded her, shrouding the darkness inside her empty shell.

"Roxas…" She whispered serenely, forwarding her desire, _'Don't worry, I would never let Xemnas have his way…'_

"Namine!" Roxas raucously cried, feeling too weak to get up.

Sora actually assisted the boy in his exertion, heaving his body upward despite the lingering frustration inside him that resulted towards his nobody. Everyone cried out to the girl, beseeching the calamity to stop.

Xemnas was overjoyed by the event though, finally succeeding his objective, "At last! The rebirth of our hearts shall be given!" The others rejoiced in their achievement, watching Namine carefully as she proceeded to absorb Kingdom Hearts, birthing a new era of darkness.

It all didn't matter to Roxas though, the dismal nobody beating the ground ferociously with despair. He knocked his forehead to the cold cement, bashing the ground continuously, crying out with an agonizing roar as he lost his light to the nothingness below.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "I hope I didn't cause tears to fall out there, if I did…SUCCESS!!! If I didn't, I still hope you guys got the emotional standpoint to this chapter. Well everyone, we're narrowing it down to TWO more chapters left. After the next one, it will soon be the last chapter that is left…and then…the SEQUEL!!! Don't stop those waterworks quite yet though, the next two chapters are even more depressing. No, I'm not trying to lay it thick, but we're at that point in the fic where Namine and Roxas's love for each other is strongly shown. So, keep reading and keeping leaving those amazing reviews guys; they keep the spirits to this fic strong! :D"

Sora: "The title to the next chapter is: "As the World Falls Around Me"


	36. As the World Falls Around Me

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…"

Kiome-Yasha: "I literally had a playlist set for me to write this chapter as epic as I could. Thank you ALL for reading and reviewing!!!! Here's the second to last chapter!"

Chapter 36 As the World Falls Around me

Larxene crashed into the wall behind her, coughing thick amount of blood as it dripped down her slim chin. She fell over, catching herself from her knees, huffing heavily as she tried to clear her vision from the lost of blood. She didn't get much time to recuperate though, an arrow already striking through her shoulder, pinning her to the wall as another one came her way. She gasped with great amount of pain, her veins damaging from the harsh throb inflicted on her.

She could hear Minx chuckle manically in front of her, relying on her ears to pinpoint the girl. She growled fiercely, using her good arm to throw knives at the little wench, summoning dashes of lightening her way. She grinned with conquest when she heard a startled yelp, along with a gush like sound hitting flesh. She looked up, trying her best to scout her area.

Larxene marveled the display before her, snickering lowly as she noticed that one of her weapons was bulged inside Minx's left eye. The girl wailed in pain, crying uncontrollably as she tried to pull the miniature blade from out of her eye. But, the more she pulled, the more she got shocked by Larxene's reacting element, gushing blood from out of her socket.

"**DAMN YOU!!!!**" She hollered out in anger, throwing a tantrum as the blade refused to come out.

"Serves you right…" Larxene disciplined charily, her whole body and face marked with open and dirty wounds. The archer continued to persistently withdraw the kunai from out of her eye, never realizing Larxene's true intentions from ending the battle. Though to the _Savage Nymph_, it all didn't matter if she won or not, the lurking shadows from above overtaking the swelling space inside her _heart_.

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Namine couldn't find her voice anymore, her mind drifting into the darkness that was filling inside her mental and physical being. She continued to drain Kingdom Hearts inside her, taking every bit of particles of hearts that were captured or slain. As this process slowly unfolded itself, her body began to break away, sending glitter of white sparkles to appear as they dissipated into the air.

Sora and the others weren't prepared to accept their friend's fate though, jumping into action as an act of retribution towards Xemnas's wicked plot. The man only huffed in his throat with amusement though, turning a blind eye from them as his minions struck forward instead. Vexen gave a twisted laugh, summoning forth a bridge of ice across the plane of the altar, blocking Sora and the others from pressing forward. That didn't stop Sora though, the young warrior already jumping forward, gliding over to the mass group of nobodies. Kairi shouted out for him to stop, overseeing Marluxia and Lexaeus's hand gestures to their weapons, notifying her they that were aiming to attack him. Donald and Goofy sprang into action though, pouncing over the sleek ice as they assailed towards the two nobodies. They managed to distract the two, saving Sora from getting hurt as he made it through to the other side.

His luck though changed for the worse, becoming assaulted by Xigbar's unsuspecting bullets from above. Sora shouted out from the scolding pain, Vexen taking this moment to imprison the brunette in a tower of freezing ice as a chain-reaction.

"Sora!" Both Kairi and Riku exclaimed with terror, their hearts shaking with undeniable panic. The young princess to Radiant Garden began to shudder with terror, cupping her cheeks with her trembling hands, _'This isn't happening…this isn't happening…THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!' _Her mind shrieked with trepidation, closing her eyes tightly shut as tears began to surface.

"Damn you…!" Sora shouted with vice, his body wiggling under the sculpted ice, finding his head to be still sticking out. Safe to say, Kairi was relieved to see he was all right, but that didn't help make matters better for them.

"Xemnas!" Mickey viciously called, "I won't allow you to continue further with this madness!" He gave a careful glance over at the wounded Roxas. The blonde had his hood down, his face pressed down to the ground, his body remaining motionless with no sign of movements that he was even alive.

The leader to the Organization brushed a strand of hair away from his face, "Madness, you say?" He closed his eyes humbly, grinning lightly from under the glowing light above, "Since you were all blinded from my intentions, I shall finally explain to you all over my devious little masterpiece. I think you should listen to this as well, Roxas…" He smiled with a sinister satisfaction, catching notice of the boy's twitch, forecasting the tears that were falling under the shade of his face, "Where should I begin in pointing out your flaws?"

"Shut up!" Sora exclaimed distastefully, "Don't you say—!"

"Sora…that's enough…let him speak…I…I…"

Everyone gasped with alarm, indicating the broken voice to be from Roxas himself. They all turned to the collapsed nobody, waiting for any other given words from him, but none came.

Sora dejectedly surrendered to the blonde's silent plea, taking in account towards Xemnas's conniving speech, "I knew for sometime now about Namine's fate. When she was in our hands I found great use for the girl when planning our construction for Kingdom Hearts. That all failed to be recognized though when my old teacher took hold of the girl, denying me use of her abilities. We had conduct many investigations on her given powers and mysterious birth, all of them leading to this point in time." He gazed up with admiration towards his given creation, "When the battle was over and we were reborn, it was all thanks to her wonderful existence; a bringer for us nobodies. It was at that moment that I knew her existence would be fading, but you see, I couldn't quite trust myself in retrieving her just yet. That's when I heard the fondness of news…Roxas was in love with Namine, the feeling being mutual…"

Roxas clenched his fingers, caving them into his leather palms out of given turbulence, his blood tensing as they froze.

Xemnas paced his voice, conveying his words to be discreet, "That's when I formed a plan. With my Kingdom Hearts incomplete, I knew I had to get Roxas back into my hands. So, while the boy grew more attached and concern towards his lovely witch, I took the liberty to sweep in and manipulate his weak state of mind. To be in all honesty, it was a risky gamble; I never thought he would actually put his trust in me again, goes to show how effective love can be to one who has no heart." He gave a low and amused chuckle, "With Roxas back in our group; I decided to send him off to collect hearts once again. Now, I'm sure you are all wondering the purpose of him losing his memories?" They all glared at him, indicating to him that they weren't pleased with the question, "Roxas erased his memories by his own free will; I just reaped in the benefits, is all." He cleared his throat, elaborating the occurrence, "Darkness can be summoned by one's fear; thirteen's was obviously losing the one who he holds most dear. He didn't want to accept such a thing from happening, dreading the reality of Namine disappearing from his life. So, what better way to run from such fears than to forget?"

Roxas shook his head shamefully, whimpering deeply inside his chest as he shuddered with convulsing and unyielding sobs. Xemnas spoke further into his monologue, "What he didn't know from such consequences was that he was leading her to her demise, effecting his beloved's fate to progress even further in uniting with Kingdom Hearts. I took this as another advantage to my research, gathering the darkness that was growing inside him to be like a sponge…so when he released Namine and Kingdom Hearts, he will be rinsing all of his sinful darkness…to her…" He became silent for a moment, finding his dialogue to be decent enough to continue, "Which leads us to where we are now…the new end of a beginning…"

"What do you plan to do now with Namine?" Riku asked diligently, interrogating the man with his keyblade pressed forward.

Xemnas found the answer to be obvious, "What else? To drown the world into darkness, until there is no light left but the _real_ Kingdom Hearts. Once I find it, I will force Namine to become one with it, giving me the power to revive and control the hearts of all worlds!" He rejoiced in his triumph, spreading his arms out freely with conquest.

"No! I won't let you!" Sora declared defiantly, doing his best to break free from the icy prism, his friends conveying the same sentiment.

Xigbar howled with utter laughter, pretending to wipe away a tear from his eyes, "Dudes, you guys really can't accept defeat." He soon took his attention on Roxas's lonesome form, "Roxas dude; it's all thanks to you for making all this possible. Much appreciated for wasting the witch, couldn't do it without you." It was at that moment that Roxas snapped, whipping his hand up to cast firaga on the ice pillar that surrounded Sora, burning the icicle as it began to melt into a puddle.

Sora fell upon the cold liquid, shifting his eyes over to Roxas, giving him a suspicious look, "Roxas…?" He was shocked by the expression that was on his counterpart's face, finding it to be a menacing look, tears visible to the naked eye as they streaked down his face endlessly.

Xemnas was quite surprised by the teen's sudden burst of power, "Roxas, I see that you're still with us…" He gave a cautious front, spying the given rage inside the blonde's revived blue eyes, the colors of azure shifting as they crashed like waves inside a storm.

Roxas slowly began to lift his body off the ground, his legs shaking from the heavy weight of his spirit that pressured him down. He swallowed a gulp of air, grunting as he tried to keep his guard up, finding his mind to be at an unstable state right now. He lifted his face up, his eyes escalating when they fell upon Xemnas's calm and unimpressed form. He cuffed between his teeth, clenching them as he tried to control himself from letting loose.

"Judging from the look in your eyes, I say you want to kill me…but remember Roxas, in the end…you were the one who struck the blade into her…" The Superior to the nobodies explained nonchalantly, rearing his golden orbs at the thirteenth member with little care.

His words struck Roxas to fall back though, shattering his expression once more to utter despair and loneliness. Xemnas snickered approvingly at the display, but that all changed when he felt a disturbance in the air from Kingdom Hearts. He whipped his body around, everyone doing the same, their sight landing on Namine's dissolving form as a blast of light began to surround her.

The wicked villain grimaced at the situation she was creating, questioning her resolve like he already knew what she was planning, "Do you honestly think you can escape? What a childish thing to wish for; just what are you planning to do with your unbalanced body? It's not yours anymore, after all."

She smiled sincerely at the man as she replied confidently, but weakly, "I know that…but…I won't allow Kingdom Hearts to be controlled by the likes of you…I won't let you control me…" He didn't looked fazed by her words, though anger was evident in his tone, "Oh, my sweet dear, what makes you think I can't control you now? Just you wait, you'll be mine…"

"That may be so, but that won't be happening today…" Xemnas growled at her retreat, the girl ignoring him as she turned to her friends, "I suggest you guys leave as soon as you can, this place will be collapsing at any moment…I really will miss you all…and thank you…for everything." Tears trickled down her face as she smiled warmly at them, closing her eyes genuinely.

Kairi spluttered between sobs, the stream of liquid from her eyes suffocating her throat to speak clearly, "N…no! Do…don't…don't…do this…don't this Namine! Please...please don't go!"

"You don't have to do this!" Sora exclaimed anxiously, Donald and Goofy shouting after him, "We won't let you disappear!"

"I'm sorry, but in order to save Kingdom Hearts I have to…and Roxas…" At that moment, she took her full awareness on the mentioned blonde, breaking down together with him as they shed unwanted tears, "Roxas…to save you…I would gladly sacrifice myself…I love you…so much…" Roxas shook his head slowly, spreading his tears across, "Remember what I said…as long…as long as we hold our memories…I'll never fade…I'll still be there…remember…"

"**Namine!!! No!!! Please… Don't leave me!!! I take it all back!!! I take everything back!!! Just…just don't GO!!**" He conveyed with a shattering cry, bracing his body forward with given stress and anguish, choking scruffily as he tried to breath from his damaged vocals.

"You impudent girl!" Xemnas shouted with rage, "You won't be going far! I will not let this end!" He declared vengefully, noticing the flash of light beginning to glow around the room.

Namine smiled tearfully, vanishing with the light as it transported her, _Kingdom Hearts_ to a new location, _'Roxas…' _Was the last thing the blonde could hear before Namine was gone without a trace.

"That wretched witch…she's spoiling my plans…no matter…I will haunt her down…no matter how long it will take." Xemnas vowed secretly to himself, becoming startled as the world around them began to shake uncontrollably.

"Namine…" Roxas hoarsely whispered, falling over from the tremors as they shook the world around them.

"What the hell…?" Sora asked quietly, his body wobbling from the broken fissures that began to crack upon the white surface.

"Namine must have tapped in her new powers and is bringing the whole world into pieces. It's too dangerous to linger in this place any longer! We must leave admittedly!" Mickey warned earnestly, trying his best to keep balance.

A piece of the altar broke off, falling aimlessly at the edge, tilting the area's plane into disorder. Xemnas found all of this as a sign to escape, lifting his arm out as he beckoned a corridor of darkness to appear. Sora noticed this, alarming everyone with a shout, "Where do you think you're going!? We're not finished yet!"

Xemnas turned himself over, his face featuring a bothersome expression, "Unfortunately, I have no time to entertain your company. I have to find my Kingdom Hearts that has escaped. Farewell, descendants of light…until we meet again…" He gave a look over to Xigbar with a side-glance, "Number two, take care of them." The crazed sharpshooter grinned with excitement, twirling his duel arrow-guns between his thin and long fingers, "Don't mind if I do."

With his plan ruined and delayed, Xemnas and the other members in the Organization fazed through the ominous portal. The sinister nobody ignored his surroundings, transporting any necessary items with him from the crumbling world.

"Wait! Stop!" Sora took up his keyblade, rushing forward to try and stop them. He failed though to acquire the task, the dark strip evaporating by the time he got close to it, "No! Dammit…!" He grunted with frustration, tripping over as another shudder made itself known, fracturing the sky as it began to disperse and crack.

The ground shivered beneath their feet, a crackling sound of crevices breaking through the white floor with mass frenzy and destruction. The crust of the surface fell apart, almost completely destroying the _Altar of Naught_.

Xigbar was thrilled over the mayhem, "What fun this is; we get to spend the finale together! Come and give me what you got!" He allured them to engage in the anticipating battle, giving a devil's grin.

They were all stunned to a halt though when they noticed Roxas slashing out his keyblades with a clear path of glittering gold and dark streams, bringing forth the Oathkeeper and Oblivion, "You guys get out of here while you still can. I'll handle this…" He spoke with a dead tone, his face blank and retained to feel any emotion; besides the dry streaks of wet tears that were visible on his cheeks.

Riku protested with a heavy and dreaded tone, "We can't just leave you here, Roxas!" Kairi decided to join in, "We can drop the fight and just escape together!"

Roxas shook his head negatively, "No, I have to do this…after all the things I've done…this is my redemption…so just get out of here, I'm doing this as a failed friend…"

"Dammit, Roxas! You think by doing this you can fix everything on your own! You're just looking for an excuse to die! Namine wouldn't want this!" Sora callously displayed with anxiety, refusing to leave a friend behind no matter what the reason.

"Please…" He spoke once more with a quivering tenor, "Just let me do this…and just leave…"

Mickey gazed at Roxas's defeated back, nodding with understanding towards the boy's wishes, "Everyone…" He turned to the crew, "It's too dangerous for us to stay here; we must go now! Roxas will take care of things here…"

"But, you majesty—!" Goofy started, but was quickly cut off by the small mouse, "No 'buts'! We need to hurry, now!" He turned to the blonde as he confirmed his feelings, bestowing him a sympathetic look, "Roxas…I'm sorry and…thank you…" The boy didn't respond, keeping his dexterous stance stagnant and unfazed.

Mickey didn't expect an answer, already leading himself out to the entrance, "Let's go, everyone!" He exited the hall, taking heed to Roxas's request.

Donald and Goofy was the first to follow their king, leaving Sora and his friends behind to contemplate. Riku was quiet for a moment, scrunching his face to a deep frown, falling prey to Roxas's demand, "Come on you guys, we need to escape as fast as we can!"

"But, Riku!" Kairi exclaimed with horror, her lungs seizing to cooperate with her breathing as she gasped with hesitation.

"We won't be any help to Roxas if we stay, we have to leave!" He took off towards the entrance, jumping over the broken cracks on the ground.

"Riku…!" She swiftly turned to Sora, hoping he wouldn't deny her plea, "Sora…!"

The brunette creased his face with uncertainty, his eyes brimming with tears as his heart ached. He could hear the world fall apart around them, the_ World That Never Was _seizing to exist within the realms of light and darkness. He glanced over at Roxas's still form, his nose flaring as he released the kept up air inside his chest, "Roxas, you better get out of here alive! There are still some things we need to settle!" He didn't get a response from his complement-half, twisting himself around as he grabbed hold of Kairi's shivering hand.

He gave her a reassuring squeeze, signaling her to trust him as they began to make their way to the exit. Kairi looked over her shoulder as they passed the opening, frowning with horror when she noticed a pillar collapsing over the entrance, blocking their path from ever returning. She gave a fretful whimper, sending a prayer to Roxas as she left with Sora, avoiding the chance in getting swallowed up by the unforgiving nothingness.

Roxas turned his head slightly over his shoulder, giving his friends a final farewell and thanks. He soon took his gaze back over at the shrewd and negligent Xigbar, the man bumping one of his guns over his shoulder as he waited.

"How admirable of you, little dude; risking your life for the friends who you betrayed." He chuckled teasingly, "Not to mention they probably won't ever trust you again…not after what you have done to the people they had cared about…" Roxas clasped his keyblades with a death like grip, realizing he would have to make the battle quick since the world was at the brink of destruction.

He had tried to ignore Xigbar's cruel comments, but that all went out the window when the man spoke once more, "They all blame you; it's all your fault for letting her go and disappear like that. Guess you won't be getting that pussy anymore now that she's a part of Kingdom Hearts." The ground finally broke beneath them, departing the debris into the air as the gravity became unstable. Roxas pounced to attack with no second thought, the _Freeshooter _sprouting bullets his way with vociferous laughter of bliss.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Mickey slid under a pillar as it began to fall from their path, Riku and the others jumping over the column with great speed and enterprise. Sora and Kairi were close behind the group, maneuvering through the path as they avoided the breaking structure around them.

"We won't be able to make it!" Donald complaint negatively, flapping his arms with worry.

Their luck ran thin when heartless started to appear out of nowhere, breaking through the defenses of the castle's barrier. They halted in their steps, withdrawing themselves back from the approaching dark and hungry creatures. It was that moment that a portal to the dark realm was opened, appearing beside them as their getaway.

"Where did that come from?" Goofy asked quizzically, shielding himself from the shroud of heartless.

"It must have been Roxas; we should go!" Riku jumped into the passageway, beckoning the others to do the same.

"Roxas, or could it have been Namine?" Kairi asked aloud, but it didn't matter as Mickey ushered them to go through, "That doesn't matter! We must leave, now!" They all huddled inside, avoiding the upcoming horde of creatures as they slowly came to ambush them from behind.

Sora was the last to make it through, watching the darkness engulf the doorway as they departed from the world; leaving a part of himself behind.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

There was ignition of flames sprouting across the room, the two female nobodies impacting each other with deadly blows. Larxene blasted a stream of thunder at the girl, her target being the knife that was stabbed into her ruined socket. She jumped over arrows after arrows, dodging the pink energy darts that Minx hassled her with. She tripped over as one almost came to her chest, shifting her body around in order to avoid it. She fell over as a result, clutching her side as she felt a bruise there from the quick turn, rubbing the sore spot as she grunted in pain.

The heat and oxygen that was clouding the room blurred her vision, causing her to sweat with fatigue. It wasn't long though until the whole room began to shake, crumbling the ceiling above as it began to splinter and crack.

"What's…what's going on…?" She asked herself, scouting the area as it all began to shuffle apart.

Minx ignored the dangerous surroundings, her full intention being on the woman in front of her, "This is the end, Larxene!" The woman sighed with irritation of the usual cliché lines of her 'suppose' demise, "Don't you have anything _better_ to say? You're such an amateur." She eased herself back up, finding the situation to be hazardous to fight or linger any longer.

'_I have to get up there, something went wrong…I just know it...' _She positioned her stance carefully, already performing her final task in eliminating the small imp, _'I only got one shot at this, better make it count…' _She grinned confidently, her eyes aiming at the dart inside Minx's eye, _'Get ready to meet the darkness, twerp.' _And with that, she sprinted across the room, separating herself in order to commence her final limit technique.

Minx was blown away by the woman's remarkable speed, becoming blinded by the flash of light she threw at her with her magic. She growled with rage, doing her best to squint her eyes closely in order to concentrate. The archer was left baffled though as Larxene threw knives across the air, causing Minx to pull out her bow as she took aim at the blonde's approaching form. She released the shot just as Larxene was about to throw her own weapons. The _Gazing Straight Arrow _got the upper hand though as the arrow sunk into Larxene's unprotected shoulder, bringing an impish grin to appear on her face. That smile was wiped off though when Larxene's 'body' dispersed like an illusion, causing the girl to react in surprise as she stepped back with alarm.

She quickly turned around though when she heard the woman's sharp tongue behind her, "Here I am, brat!" She gasped with fright as Larxene's true form revealed itself, slashing her with multiple cuts with her kunais as they all held sparks of electricity at the tip.

It was at that moment that the savage vixen brought an open palm out, sinking her hand into the dart that was plunged inside Minx's eye, shoving the weapon deeper as she transferred her magic into her.

The young nobody cried out in pain, blood spluttering out of her eye as the pressure shattered her stratums, traveling through her body to burst, **"AHHH!!! You tricked me!!! You bitch! You filthy BITCH!!!" **She trembled uncontrollably from the shock, the prickles of voltage damaging her insides.

Larxene laughed lightly with merriment, "You can never go wrong with having a shadow to do your bidding. Now, say hi to hell for me…" She brought up her hands, dragging her knives down in order to stab and pin the girl into place.

Minx cried out with pure agony, her body convulsing as she became stunned by the piercing small blades. She began to shake wildly, her blood discharging as the thick liquid erupted out of her blistered skin, smoke rising off of her as she began to boil. She screamed out with hatred, damning Larxene to suffer in the pits of hell as she began to dissolve into the empty void. Minx brought her hands up to the sky, searching for some sort of hope and retrieval of her lost heart, but it never came. Her desperate cry dimmed hauntingly as the scorching fire around the room diminished her existence, evaporating and burning the remains of her destroyed body.

Larxene collapsed onto the heap of rubble beneath her, listening to the crackling flames and crumbled ashes of stone as they calmed her nerves to a rest. She didn't wait long though, staggering herself back on her feet, "I…I…I need to hurry…" She heaved unevenly as she jolted forward, using her willpower to move.

She crippled her way through the dense oxygen of smoke, deliberately disregarding the blood that was dripping off her shoulder and hand. She gave a thick cough as she forced her hand out to open a passageway, grinding her teeth as she tried to suppress the pain, "Dammit…I'm coming…" She stubbornly retorted, passing through the strip as it vanished behind her as the world continued to fall apart.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKHKH

Xigbar disappeared and reappeared with great velocity, avoiding a close encounter with _The Key of Destiny_, keeping himself out of range. Roxas snapped the bullets back at Xigbar as he repelled the shots, creating sparks from the short friction. The blonde growled impatiently, hopping over broken rubbles of stone. He knew he had to be quick, gripping his keyblades as they shimmered with his raging combat instincts.

He swooped behind a broken pillar, avoiding the assault of bullets that aimed his way. He grunted from the sound, keeping still behind the rubble as Xigbar laughed with enthusiasm.

Roxas gazed down at his fallen keyblade the Oblivion, a strategy forming in his from the visual contact. He growled with agitation as the bullets continued to ambush him from behind, breaking off pebbles with great haste at the shambled shield. Once Xigbar stopped to get a quick reload, Roxas maneuvered himself over, thrusting Oblivion forward as it flew out like a boomerang. Xigbar caught notice of the approaching blade, bending backwards as he dodged the swooping edges. He chuckled with triumph from his fast reflexes, but frowned soon afterwards as he spotted a fist coming towards his face.

Roxas focused all of his energy towards his hand, clenching it tightly into a ball as he flung it towards Xigbar's oblivious expression. A burst of white exploded on the sharpshooter's face, knocking him off the air. Roxas didn't stop there though; despair overpowering his judgment as he released a relentless cry of fury.

The _Freeshooter_ was able to land securely though upon the hazardous floor, shaking off the blast from his face as minimum damage. He swiftly brought his eyes back on the enrage and distraught double-wielder, targeting him with his weapons before he could get close, "Clever little dude, he knows I'm weak against close combat." He gruffly whispered to himself, giving a smug like grin, "But let's see how he does with this!" He soon combined his weapons, providing him the use of his limit break the _Critical Snipe_.

He soon began to fire like crazy, wildly shooting the exploding pellets in a mass hysterical frenzy. Roxas tried to defend himself from the onslaught, shifting his keyblades forward as he was launched back. He ushered his body to react though, producing a field of light around them as they entered the torrent of nothingness. Thirteen shot beams of light while swirling his Oathkeeper around, providing it to be a launcher towards the ignited streams of light. Xigbar snickered from the challenge, shifting his body to be invisible as he took advantage towards the element of space. Roxas frowned from the reaction he got from the sniper, shifting his other arm around as he sliced the empty space that surrounded them with the Oblivion. He huffed from his achievement, hearing a shout of pain from the sliced void as the dark keyblade revealed the gunman's hiding place.

Roxas exclaimed with a wrenching tone of resentment, "**Bastard!!!**" He charged upward from where the man was, giving him no time to recover.

He took action, latching onto Oblivion, as it slowly fell towards him, gliding towards the injured nobody. He gasped in aggravation though as he was blocked by a piece of large wreckage from above, crushing his atmosphere of light as darkness slowly began to lurk through, "**No!**" He shouted with outrage, slicing through the rubbish, obstinately breaking his way through to reach his enemy.

But once he carved through the large shard, he was welcomed by two shots in the chest from Xigbar's ruthless and purple projectiles. Roxas wheezed from the impact, giving out a short cough of blood as the pressure damaged his lungs. He didn't let it faze him for long through, rotating himself around as he gave a swift kick to the ecstatic man's side, bruising him with a sick impact.

Both competitors were knocked down, taking refuge upon some surviving platforms that rumbled to collapse at any moment. Xigbar humbly laughed inside his chest, sweating from the injury he strained himself to ignore, "Seems like we've run out of time to play. I'll be catching you later, dude."

An image of Namine's angelic features swept by Roxas's vision, urging the boy to react in distress, "No! Wait! **Stop!!!**" He tried to make his way towards Xigbar as he generated a portal to appear from the deep bowels of darkness. He sliced through the falling pieces of debris that came from the damp city, walking across the walls as a bridge to boost his jumps. He growled urgently as he noticed the sniper entering through the dimension, pumping his legs to move faster.

As the rain pedaled dramatically upon him, Roxas gave one final leap, hurdling himself over in order to reach. He failed to meet his desire though, Xigbar wishing him one last farewell with a friendly salute, "See you around, kiddo." The man saw the blonde's hateful glare as he continued to pursue him, "Man, it's that same damn look…" He commented nostalgically, entering inside the thick motioning darkness as the portal dissolved behind him.

"Stop!" Roxas shouted with discontent, gasping in pain as a piece of floating ruins collided into him.

He got knocked down to the ground, bouncing off the cement with a harsh thump. He winced and cussed under his breath, releasing the tears he had been holding back throughout the entire battle. He tried to pick himself back up, but he forfeited the attempt, his existence slowly fading as he tried to merge himself into the disparaging environment. He gave a pitiful whimper, his features scrunching in pain, "Namine…." He was soon drowning in his own tears as they dripped across his face disorderly, "Namine…"

It wasn't long until he heard a swooshing sound come from behind him, indicating a corridor to have opened up. He tried to investigate who the intruder was, but declined the idea as the person spoke, "Roxas…!" He discovered the individual to be Larxene, the female nobody already making haste to his side.

He replied right away without any hesitation, "Larxene, go without me…just leave me here…"

"What the hell happened!?" She exclaimed immediately, ignoring his words as nonsense. She soon got her answer though from the expression etched on his face, finding the dead look in his eyes to be proof enough of her fears, "Roxas…I…"

"Don't say anything…" He announced brusquely, straining his body to move, "Just get somewhere safe before this whole place disappears…"

"The hell with you! I'm getting you out of here with me!" She tenaciously denied his request, bringing herself over to him, "Besides, Namine wouldn't want that!" She hotly explained, grabbing the boy's arm in order to help him up, disregarding her own injuries.

Roxas shoved her away though, refusing her offer, "Just go…please…I…I…I promise…I'll…I'll catch up…" She looked unconvinced, but gave a dumbfounded look in how to reply, "You…what's that word…" She paused for a moment, before recollecting, "…You promise?" He became struck with wistfulness, his eyes widening for a moment before settling soon afterwards, "Yeah…I promise."

"You better! Or you'll be facing my wrath, twerp!" She played it off with a fearless and mulish front, turning around while opening herself a path to escape in. She gave one last look over at Roxas though before leaving, gazing over at the world as it continued to fall, watching as the black ink of darkness slowly tainted the world. She wistfully hoped Roxas would have changed his mind before departing, but he never did, bringing herself over to the other side while shaking her head with pity and regret.

When the fallen nobody heard the corridor evaporate he gave a hollow laugh, relaxing himself against the cool earth as he felt the liquid of darkness slither underneath him. It gradually began to consume him, taking pleasure over his dark thoughts, luring it in to feed on.

Roxas spoke weakly against the ground, the moist texture of dew providing his eyes to sting, "Namine…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…please…please…" He clenched one of his hands, finding the other to be immobile, "Forgive me…" He became startled and confused though when he felt something strong beat inside his chest, "What…?"

Whatever it was, it stirred the darkness to react widely, the pulse becoming stronger and more defined. It began to swell inside him, compressing his bones to constrict around his organs. Roxas squinted harshly from the pain, "It hurts…what is this? It hurts so much…" He couldn't grasp the sensation, seeing as it was plaguing his insides like some sort of parasite that was clinging onto him.

Heartless began to sprout from the murky substance, twitching with delight over the precious item that was growing inside of Roxas's being. They all burst forth, pouncing forward in order to claim the pulsation inside the wrecked blonde's vibrating chest. It was after that, that everything seemed to stop in slow motion, bringing a halt to gravity.

Roxas's breathing began to shallow, his vision becoming hazy as everything got smudged together. It didn't take long for the floor underneath him to break, causing his body to fall forward. But before he was greeted by the eternal darkness, he heard a voice echo out with a loving tone, _"Roxas…"_

"Namine…?" He whispered in question, closing his eyes as he embraced the warm light that began to reside around him, tears spilling forth with pure bliss.

End Chapter

Kiome-Yasha: "That's it everyone! Next chapter is the last! I hope you guys are all prepared for it =D! I actually enjoyed writing this chapter, I don't know why; it just seemed to flow. Well either way, I'll let you guys decide on that by reviewing what you thought. Though I must confess, I did _cry_ while writing this chapter; I guess it's because I know what's coming next that made it emotional for me. I don't know if anyone else cried in this chapter, but if you did, wait until the last. Thank you all for who supported The Way You Remember Me! I promise, I'll be giving special credits for those who reviewed after completing the fic. Until the next…oh…LAST chapter everyone :D! Don't forget! Keep leaving those amazing reviews that make me smile!"

Sora: "The title to the final chapter is: "Rebirth". Until then!"


	37. Rebirth End

Declaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts…."

Kiome-Yasha: "This is it everyone, the last chapter. It's been a good four years running, cheers!"

Chapter 37 Rebirth

The warm light faded as he heard loud bells ring out into the area surrounding him, reviving his heavy and dry eyes as they slowly opened. He was welcomed by an orange painted sky, breathing lightly as he tried to clear his mind over where he was. He heard the bells go off again, this time much louder than before. He brought his frail body up from the ground, gasping as he realized where he was. Through the golden sky, the sun set over the glowing and glittering ocean as it reflected the yellow orb into its own liquid abyss. There were tall buildings of apartments and stores, train tracks running across the neighborhood as transportation for the civilians who lived in the peaceful town. He looked over his shoulder, catching the melody of the bells once more as it rang behind him. He was sitting at the top of Twilight Town's old clock tower, remembering the world just as he had left it. He was beyond shock, not understanding how he got there in the first place.

He soon began to recollect the events that had just occurred, his eyes tearing up as he whimpered hoarsely, "Namine…" He soon heard someone reply next to him, her tone pure and affectionate, "Roxas…" He froze with a distraught look, turning his head slowly to the right as he gazed at the beauty before him.

She was wearing an elegant white gown, almost fit for a princess, splitting at the middle between her legs as it created an opening to reveal her unscarred skin. The dress seemed to be a part of her old white dress, breaking from either side as it covered half of the gown like some sort of robe. She also had a light and blue translucent trimming that traced around her chest and back as it fluttered along her arms. A long and colorless ribbon was stitched neatly at the front of her dress, passing over her left shoulder as it hung down beautifully from behind. She had baby blue beads shaped like hearts that drag down at the center of her bosoms, heading down to her belly button as it created a bow with two long transparent strings hanging down at the front. There was also a bracelet that wrapped itself around her left ankle, holding yellow stars as charms, dangling like crystals. She was like some Goddess, her hair and eyes resonating from the glowing sun that beamed in the distance.

She soon turned her head over to him, her hair flowing gracefully against the passing wind, "Roxas…" She repeated once more, her eyes watering as she tried to hold back the destructive moistures.

The male nobody was stunned, his breath shaking as his mouth gaped open in astonishment, "Namine…is that really you?" She nodded lightly, giving him a sad smile, "What…what happened to you!? Are we really in Twilight Town!?" He asked frantically, not wanting to believe that everything was some sick dream that the darkness was playing against him.

"This place is…" She started numbly, licking around her lips nervously, "It's the Twilight Town…where we first met…_our_ Twilight Town…"

He gasped in shock, comprehending what she was talking about as he gazed down over the surreal setting. This was the virtual Twilight Town, the one where he had lived as his days of existence diminished by each memory that was restored inside Sora's consciousness. This was the Twilight Town where he had first met Namine, where he had learned the truth, where they had made their promise…everything.

"It won't be long now…" She spoke faintly, grasping her hands together as her voice dwindled. She caught him off guard from her depressed tone, edging him to panic as he noticed her despair, "Namine, what's wrong…?" He asked dramatically, reaching towards her as he pressed himself against her into a tight hold, "Whatever's happening, I won't allow it…I promise you…"

He could feel her head as it shook weakly against his shoulder, "No…it's too late…this is my fate…there's nothing we can do…" He refused to believe that though, holding her tighter to him, "No! This isn't how it's going to end!"

She gently pushed him away, gazing into his eyes as she pleaded with him to understand, "I'm one with Kingdom Hearts now Roxas, and even if I could delay his search for now in finding me…Xemnas will find me someday…but…until that time comes…I want to stay here and look at the sunset with you…please…that's all I want right now…" She begged softly, her voice cracking as she tried to express her request.

Roxas turned away from her stare, clenching his eyes shut as the action wrinkled his features, blocking the tears from flowing out. Namine touched his trembling hands with her own, producing a innocent smile to appear on her face, "Don't waste our time together by crying, I want to share this with you…" He nodded with a dreaded shutter, his throat tightening as his body convulsed violently.

They both slowly turned over at the blazing sun that began to melt, descending into the water as the ocean swallowed the warm colors as its own. Namine watched the scenery with awe, finding she always wanted to have this moment with Roxas, at least once. She pressed her head against his shoulder, resting momentarily as she began to feel herself drift away. She felt the hearts inside her begin to stir, easing their way in order to possess her. It wouldn't be long until she lost herself completely by the overwhelming sounds of their voices; but, as long as Roxas held memories of them, just like this, she knew she could never truly fade.

"I remember everything…" He somehow was able to speak, but barely as he shuttered gutturally, "Everything…" He repeated the word again, gulping the bottom half of his lips in order to resist the scream he wanted to release.

"Including Xion?" She asked with a regrettable tone. He replied with a nod, "Yeah, I remember her as well. It's like you unlocked and spilled everything out into the open."

"I couldn't lie to you anymore, Roxas. I just couldn't, I care for you too much to keep away such precious memories from you, from the people you cared about." She confessed truthfully, edging herself away from his shoulder in case if he was disgusted with her.

She was surprised though when Roxas pulled her back, "The most precious memories I appreciate having back, are of you, Namine. I never want to lose them again, not ever…and that's why…I'm sorry…so sorry…" He brought his head down, cowering over his hair as his mane sagged over his features.

"No, everything's alright now." She comforted softly, bringing his head over to her chest as she let him embrace her, "I could never hate you or despise you for what you've done Roxas, I love you too much to ever think like that." She looked over at the sun as it began to set, bringing the sky to turn to a darker shade.

She charitably smiled as tears streaked down her face silently, relishing Roxas's hold on her as it would be the last thing she remembered. She decided to speak, wanting to confess what she was holding inside her, "I'll never forget, being here with you, and meeting you…there's so many things…I wish…I wish I could take back…but I can't..." She sniffled jadedly, causing Roxas to pull back as he kept his hands around her waists, "I want you to know, Roxas. That no matter what, I'll always be here…as long as you remember that, everything will be fine."

He had a feeling she was hiding something from him, gripping his hold on her, "Namine…please…" He didn't know what he was begging her to do, visioning memories that he couldn't quite recognize. They sprouted inside his mind like a misty haze of noise, incapable in distinguishing the mysterious fragments as they scurried around his head.

"Soon, everything will come together…you'll find the answer someday…" She mournfully explained, spotting her hands begin to crack.

"No…" Roxas witnessed the fracture as it began to spread across her arms, lashing onto her dissipating form, "Not yet!!! You can't go yet!!! Not when I remembered!! Not when I remembered who you are!! You can't leave me again, Namine!!" He cried out, feeling the rays of the sun begin to disappear, shifting their shadows across the floor.

"We can't stop it…soon…Kingdom Hearts will join inside me…destroying who I was…I'll be nothing more than a shadow…but I know now, Roxas, I know now." She chastely spoke, "Even if I go away, I'll be in your heart; a place where Xemnas could never touch."

"My heart?" He asked doubtfully, feeling something pulse within him, touching the left side of his chest, "But…I'm…" She shook her head, "It's there…because…I'm there…" She tenderly justified, gasping in pain as she felt she was at her limit. The sun twinkled out at this time, the shadows of its ember shrinking into the abyss on the other side of the world.

"**Namine!**" Roxas shouted with horror, gripping her hand as he pulled her to him, "**I won't…I…!" **He couldn't finish, his voice breaking as tears barricaded his mouth from speaking. He fumbled with his words, stretching his sobs as they merged with Namine's own departed cries.

"Roxas…" She sniveled miserably, her chin pressed against his shoulder as the last bit of air inside her was slowly draining. The sky glistened with stars as they were revealed by the crisp glow of the sun, rising into the heavens as they sparkled. The orange sky connected with the setting dusk, banishing the warmth of the sun as it mocked the tragedy that was about to unfold.

Roxas gasped as his hands sunk and shattered Namine's back, evaporating the shards into the sky, glittering like little light puffs of sallow, "Namine…no…make it stop…" He begged desperately, clinging onto her as if his life depended on it, flinching as the pressure only caused her to deteriorate more.

She beamed tragically from his tone, feeling her body begin to lift, "Roxas…you have to let go..." She pulled herself away, floating upwards as she cupped his wet cheeks, "Remember, I'll always be with you…" She slowly perched her lips against his, reviving their lost passion as they both unlocked their mouths to feel the others sanctum. Tears slowly cascaded down her face, crafting her beauty like an untouched seraph of uncorrupted light as he glided his tongue along hers. It scorched her very being as she recollected the familiar contact, unleashing a timid like moan. They departed their lips from each other, savoring the taste inside their intimate memories.

Roxas as a last resort, frantically lifted himself up, catching one of Namine's transitory hands as her fingers traced off his cheeks. He gave the hand a firm squeeze, noticing her body begin to fade even further, shimmering into the imaginary ink sky, "I won't let it end this way, Namine." He began to make a vow, his voice clobbered by the immense crying he committed, "There's so much more I want to tell you…so much…"

She nodded with acceptance, her consciousness vanishing as she only contain one last thought left. She mouthed silently to him as her hand slowly discarded his, _'I love you…' _

Roxas cried out as their hands separated with a burst of dazzling wisps of silver, "_**I promise!!!**_"

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say, please~_

_Oh baby, don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that_

_You're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

Roxas watched as the stream of snowy particles drizzled across the sky, catching notice of one in particular that shined the best. It slowly made it's way towards him, triggering the forlorn blonde to close his eyes as he waited for it to come. It daintily touched the tip of his nose, engulfing the world around them as it glowed even brighter, surrounding the area in a cloud of white.

_You're giving me, too many things_

_Lately, you're all I need_

_Ooo~ooo~_

_You smiled at me, and said_

He felt something soft and wet against his cheek, sticking to his face as he heard waves crash against the shore. He cautiously opened his eyes to take in the environment, finding it to be the _real_ Twilight Town. He gradually picked himself off from the sensitive and grainy sand, tears spilling forth as he realized what Namine had did. He froze as he heard footsteps behind him, making their way towards him with wary steps.

_Don't get me wrong I love you_

_But does that mean I have to meet, your father?_

_When we are older, you'll understand_

_What I meant when I said No,_

_I don't think life is quite that simple_

He steadily brought himself around, gasping as he saw the trio in front of him. Hayner, Olette, and Pence gave him an uneasy look, recognizing the coat he was wearing; but judging from his scarred features, they found him to somehow be harmless. Roxas gave an empty smile, sniffling as he gazed out into the gold sea.

He cried with despair, a comforting sensation settling itself inside his chest, as he recalled the last moments of his life before she disappeared.

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say, please_

_Oh baby, don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that _

_You're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

_So simple and clean~nn_

Sora and the others made it back to Radiant Garden, finding them to be bombarded with greetings and welcome backs. The young wielder brushed his hand against a brick wall on one of the cottages inside the village, avoiding the happy crowd, feeling too disheartened to speak. He gazed up at the soft glow of the purple atmosphere from above, finding traces of stars falling across the sky. He gave a frown towards the sight, quickly turning over to find King Mickey who suddenly appeared behind him.

_The daily things…_

_Like this and that and what is what_

_That keeps us all busy_

_Are confusing me _

_That's when you came to me, and said…_

"This is just the beginning…" The mouse critically announced; staring off into the sky as more streaks of light began to fall.

Sora gave a firm nod, "Right, but we'll be there to end it…"

_Wish I could prove I love you_

_But does that mean I have to_

_Walk on water?_

_When we are older, you'll understand_

_It's enough when I say so,_

_And maybe, somethings are that simple_

A jet-black crow hawked in the distance as it flew across the bleak and ominous sky. It perched itself upon a female's long and scaly wrist, twitching its wings as it settled itself. It exchanged information to its Master, flapping its wings to convey it more thoroughly. The sorceress grinned with satisfaction, her minion known as Pete scratching his head as he failed to comprehend what was going on.

"So, it finally begins…" She whispered cunningly, soothing her hand across her pet's back as she plotted for the future ahead.

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say, please_

_Oh baby, don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that_

_You're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

Larxene merged out of the portal as she landed upon a gravel hill, shaking off the debris of darkness that clung onto her. She looked out into the distance, finding nothing but an empty dry valley. She sighed with annoyance, deciding she had to start her life over again somewhere. She wondered though, how long it would take for her to get to Twilight Town?

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future_

_Doesn't scare me at all~ll~ll_

_Nothing's like before_

Xemnas stood across the empty plane as he gazed up at the abandoned fortress. He wistfully took a glance over at the blue and empty armor beside him, the rusty keyblade standing near the suit. He crossed his hands behind his back, deciding to speak with his low voice, "Soon, I shall find Kingdom Hearts…and then, we will get back what we have lost, my friend." It was at this moment that the other nobodies had gathered behind him, causing him to disperse the artifact into the darkness.

Xigbar was the last to arrive, wincing as he wrenched his neck to the side, easing the soreness with his hand. The nobodies watched their leader carefully as he turned around, examining their second base known as _Castle Oblivion_.

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say, please_

_Oh baby, don't go_

_Simple and Clean is the way that_

_You're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let it go_

Axel traveled inside the realm that existed deep within Roxas's dreams, his mind blank on what to do as he witnessed the whole event. As he passively walked through the empty plane, he noticed a figure wearing the same type of coat as the Organization XIII. He gasped in shock, jolting his head upwards to the hooded person as she began to pull back the material that covered her face.

He squinted his eyes, as the face seemed familiar to his memories, scratching the wrinkles to his brain to remember, "Xi…Xion?"

"Let's help them, together." She gave a friendly and comforting smile, edging her hand forward as a truce between old friends.

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future_

_Doesn't scare me at all~ll~ll_

_Nothing's like before_

Roxas entered the secluded and isolated mansion that was separated from the town, standing by the entrance before pressing forward to the center of the hall. He gazed around the main hall, taking in the old structure. He frowned drastically though as he remembered the recent events that occurred, but he quickly shook it off as he headed for the stairs. He took each step with an easy pace, stepping onto the second floor as he started to make his way down to the white room that once belong to a certain blonde witch.

He reached for the door, faltering his steps as he approached the entrance. He sighed somberly to himself before grabbing the knob, twisting it forward as he proceeded through without any interruptions.

_Hole me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future_

_Doesn't scare me at all~ll~ll_

_Nothing's like before_

He vaguely squinted over the flash of light that penetrated through the room, closing the door behind him as he started to explore the deserted and pale space. He examined each drawing that was plastered on the walls, taking in the descriptions of each one as he trailed his fingers across the dry colors of wax. He smiled sadly towards the portraits, grazing the materials in hopes of sensing a part of Namine in them.

_OOoo~ooo~ooo~_

It wasn't long until he traveled halfway around the room, his foot stepping on a crumbled and burnt ball of paper.

_Hahh~hahhh~hahh~_

_Oh yeah~_

He picked up the discarded and ruined sketch, unfolding the slip from its enclosed confinement. He cleared off the edges as he revealed the image in his hands, becoming startled by the doodle in front of him.

_Aye~…Aye~_

He began to break down, tears already clouding his vision, his hands beginning to tremble as the drips from his eyes fell upon the drawing. He soon came with an idea, clasping the drawing near to his chest as he sniffled with a blissful grin on his face.

_Hahh~hahhh~hahh~hhh~_

It didn't take long, but soon enough, the drawing was restored to the best as it could be from inept artist's skills. He had done his best to adjust and flatten the wrinkles that were indented on the sheet. He had framed it neatly upon an empty space he had found on one of the walls, reflecting it against the light that beamed through the large window. The doodle contained a depiction of a blonde boy and girl sitting close to each other on top of the clock tower of Twilight Town, catching the moment as the light across the ocean dove into slumber, ever waiting for the sunrise ahead.

End 

Kiome-Yasha: "There, it's finally over everyone. The Way You Remember Me is now finished; up next, the sequel!!! And judging from what you have seen in this chapter, the sequel will be jam-pack with more exciting adventures, and of course, romance. There will be a special credit for everyone! I just need to gather a lot of info in order to do it XD. Anyway, the first chapter to the sequel will not be made until _**after**_ the holidays. This is my Christmas gift to all of you who've enjoyed and read the story; I wish you all the happiest of holidays…even though you might be crying right now from reading this. Even though I won't be working on the sequel right away, look forward to my other Namixas story _The Diary of Namine_, which I have recently started updating again. Well everyone, after a good four years of my life, it's safe to say I feel accomplished in completing this. I hope you all understood the meaning to this chapter and what I was trying to convey. Also, if there were any unanswered questions in this story, don't worry, I'll be sure to bring them all up in the sequel ;D. Well, all I can say now is give your last goodbyes and reviews to this story; and I thank you all for supporting it."

Sora: "There is no next chapter, wait for the sequel, which the title to that one shall be: "The Way I Remember You". Coming Soon!"


End file.
